legatum de maladie
by Idamonae
Summary: AU. There was never a boy who lived, only a boy who died. Draco Malfoy is ill. Harry Potter is a Healer. Lucius Malfoy is desperate. Slash.
1. Prologue

Title: _legare_ _malade_

Genre: Romance/Drama/Angst

Pairing: HP/DM

Rating: M

Summary: **AU.** There was never a boy who lived, only a boy who died.

Draco Malfoy is ill. Harry Potter is a Healer. Lucius Malfoy is desperate. Slash.

_Disclaimer: I don't own a thing. It's all the property of J.K Rowling, and this story is being written for entertainment purposes only. Not a dime is being made._

_xxxx_

_Prologue _

Sibyl Trelawney's eyes rolled into the back of her head, and a strange chill reverberated through her body, enveloping every cell in its icy grip. She didn't hear the words that left her mouth, but she knew they were important. Her _eye_ was wide open, and her vision had never been so clear…

_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... Born to those who have knelt before him, born as the sixth month rises ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the sixth month rises ..._

Draconis Lucius Malfoy,

July 5 1980 – October 31 1981

_Rest in Peace, Beloved Dragon_

Lucius Malfoy had commissioned the headstone in the highest quality marble, which had been imported directly from the Mediterranean and carved by the finest English craftsman. A tiny baby dragon rested its head at the top of the stone, which lay over the grave of his firstborn son, a child whose very birth had been a struggle, and whose short life had been cursed by a weakened immune system. His child, who had finally been set free from the prison of his weakened body not by the failing of his diseased organs, but by the hand of the master Lucius had sworn allegiance to before he'd even conceived of the idea of a son. Looking at the tombstone now, Lucius brushed off the thin layer of snow and placed a single white rose on the edge of the smooth rock. Straightening his back, he turned on his heel and walked silently into the night, the light snow covering his footsteps and leaving no trace of his presence in the tiny yard.

xxxx


	2. Part 1

Title: _legare__ malade_

Genre: Romance/Drama/Angst

Pairing: HP/DM

Rating: M

Summary: **AU.** There was never a boy who lived, only a boy who died.

Draco Malfoy is ill. Harry Potter is a Healer. Lucius Malfoy is desperate. Slash.

_Disclaimer: I don't own a thing. It's all the property of J.K Rowling, and this story is being written for entertainment purposes only. Not a dime is being made._

_xxxx_

1

Harry James Potter sighed deeply and threw his hands up in the air. His paper on the practical uses of a revised Sectumsempra curse in surgery wasn't going well. Despite having his former Potions Master's notes on the creation of the original curse at hand, and what seemed like fifty thousand other research texts, he simply couldn't find the angle he was looking for. He needed a beer, but more urgently, he needed a smoke. Rising from his cramped desk, he stretched his tired back muscles and scratched at that irritating itch on the nape of his neck that simply wouldn't go away, cursing as he stumbled over a stray pair of boots on his way to the kitchen. His flat was in complete disarray, clothes thrown about everywhere, and a weeks worth of dishes stacked on the counter beside the sink just begging for his attention. But Harry didn't see any of that, as his head was still trying to wrap itself around the problem he'd left in the living room. He reached into the refrigerator and pulled out a beer, popped it open with ease, and lifted the cold bottle to his lips. It was amazing how clear and simple the world looked after one sip of wheaty, sudsy goodness. Really, it wasn't that big a deal. Not really. Just a paper. It would come eventually. He heard a crash come from the other room and sighed again. A pile of textbooks must've fallen over.

There was really only one thing he could do. Desperate times called for desperate measures. He checked the clock on the far wall and tried to reach for the courage he wasn't so certain he had. Taking a deep breath, he walked towards his tiny fireplace, grinding his teeth as he went.

xxxx

Katherine Lily Potter had no response except to laugh as Harry's shaggy head appeared in the common room fireplace. Snickering, she stood up from her comfortable position on the Ravenclaw sofa, and leaned casually against the mantle. "You know how much trouble we'd be in if someone were to find out you had this connection?" She asked rhetorically, examining her pristine nails as she did so.

Her older brother snorted. "You and I both know that everyone and their owl knows about these conversations we have. It's not like this is a new thing." Harry mentally calculated the years that he'd spent chatting with his Godfather through a link just like this one in the Slytherin common room. No, not a new thing at all. Suddenly feeling older than he was, he sighed. "Are you going to help me or what?"

Kate smiled mischievously. "What will you give me if I do?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "My eternal gratitude and respect. Please, Kate?" He picked up a text closest to him, tossing it through the flames. "I know you probably read all of this shite when you were in third year. I've been busting my fuckin' skull over it all weekend, and it doesn't make any sense. Please help me?"

Kate ran a loving hand over the textbook. "Very well" She huffed, the corners of her mouth twitching into a smile. "Your thesis is still the same?" He nodded. "I'll see what I can do for you and send Percy with it later, ok?"

"Thanks sis."

Kate sighed as Harry's head disappeared from the flames. "Typical Slytherin," she spoke to her friends on the sofa. "Always conning others into doing their work for them."

xxxx


	3. Part 2

Title: _legare__ malade_

Genre: Romance/Drama/Angst

Pairing: HP/DM

Rating: M

Summary: **AU.** There was never a boy who lived, only a boy who died.

Draco Malfoy is ill. Harry Potter is a Healer. Lucius Malfoy is desperate. Slash.

_Disclaimer: I don't own a thing. It's all the property of J.K Rowling, and this story is being written for entertainment purposes only. Not a dime is being made._

_xxxx_

2

Draco Malfoy was tired, achy and bitchy. Bloody Potter had screwed everything up _again_. The Ravenclaw wench had somehow managed to get top marks in potions, despite Draco's tireless efforts to best her in the only subject he had a chance in. He glared wearily at his potions essay, Professor Snape's spidery scrawl bleeding into the parchment, its declaration of "you can do better" beside the meager "excellent" grade poisoning the pride Draco had felt a week ago after finally finishing the two solid weeks worth of research he'd done to get the bloody thing written in the first place.

"What's the matter, Malfoy?" Draco's acidic glare moved from his essay to the bane of his academic existence, as she now hovered over his desk anxiously.

Kate furrowed her brows together and snatched Draco's essay from his hands. "Bloody hell! There really is no justice, is there? I know how much work you put into this assignment." Her eyes slipped down the parchment, studiously taking quick notes of the Slytherin boy's research. She whistled low in her throat and looked back up into Draco's sneering gaze. She tossed the essay on his desk casually and reaffirmed her hold on her books, smiling gently. "I'd appeal if I were you."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Right, thanks." He rolled up the parchment carefully and gently inserted it into his bag, the small part inside him that was still proud desperate to maintain the crisp edges on the paper. Potter had long since walked away to join her other brainiac friends in the corridor when he finally finished. Draco sniffed and muttered under his breath about stupid bloody Ravenbrains. At least his next lecture was with the Gryffindors. No competition in the brains department there.

"What's up, Draco?" Oleander Parkinson stalked up to the grumbling Prefect, dumping his bag gracelessly on the desk where Draco's used to be. Olli, as his friends called him (much to the displeasure of his family, who insisted such a name was far too plebian for one of such pure birth) stood about a foot taller than Draco, his clothes hanging off his gangly form while he waited to fill out. His dark features stood in sharp contrast to Draco's fey appearance, and given a few years, he'd likely fill out into a vision of rugged masculinity that would leave women (and men) hanging off him in awe. It was with a great deal of persuasion that Draco had finally been convinced that the pug faced girl his parents intended him to marry was Olli's older sister, Pansy. That the two were related was quite the hard pill to swallow, but Draco had eventually conceded the point when he's seen the two bickering as siblings were wont to do.

Still, he often wondered how he could get hell to freeze over so that his parents might alter his binding engagement from Pansy to Olli. _Not_ that he'd ever let anyone know _that_ little desire. "Nothing." He muttered, firing off a belated glare into the now empty corridor.

"She beat you again, did she?" Olli chuckled, picking up his heavy bag and following Draco out of the dungeon classroom. "I wouldn't worry about it, Draco. She's a bloody Ravenclaw, it's what's expected of her. Come to think of it, it's _all_ that's expected of her. I'd like to see her catch a snitch as fast as you can." Draco nodded, but his mind was still clinging to Snape's stinging comments on his essay. "Well," Olli tried. "At least she's hot. It would be awful to lose to a smart, ugly girl."

Draco's eyes snapped to attention and he stopped to glare at his longtime school mate and friend. "Are you insane?" he reached up to check his friends temperature just to be sure. "No sign of fever. Let me make sure I heard you correctly; did you just say _Potter_ was hot? As in, you find her _attractive_?"

"Close your mouth, Malfoy." Olli snapped. "It's most unbecoming. You mean to say you don't think she's cute?"

"NO!" A light blush stole across Draco's cheeks and he turned away, staring into the crowd of students scrambling to class.

"Ah, yes. That's right. You're saving your admiring glances for my sister, aren't you? Honest and noble Draco, you poor fool." Olli laughed.

"She's not my type." Draco bit out, turning on his heel, even more desperate to get to his next class.

"Well, not everyone fancies red heads. Reminds them too much of the Weasley's, pathetic lot that they are, so I won't blame you. There's just something about her…some kind of fire-"

Draco cut him off. "You'd better not let her brother hear you talking about her like that, or you may never walk again."

Olli hissed sarcastically. "And how exactly is ol' Harry going to find out when he's bloody miles away?"

"Some punk firstie could write him and tell him." Draco offered, slipping through the door into Transfiguration.

"I suppose he'll just come running up here to kick my ass then?" Olli laughed again as he took the seat beside the blonde, rummaging through his bag for the right textbook.

Draco shrugged. "You never know."

xxxx

"I must say, Lucius, that your decision to resurrect your dead son has been most _beneficial_." Severus Snape hissed sarcastically and watched as his old acquaintance knocked back another shot of whiskey, the fifth since their conversation had started not twenty minutes ago, and arched a sooty eyebrow in response.

"You're treating him well then?" Lucius asked, his perfectly enunciated words giving no hint of his rapidly deteriorating sobriety.

"Only as well as he deserves." Snape ventured, his lips crooking in a sadistic smile as the words left his mouth.

"He's a Malfoy, Severus. He deserves the best." Lucius said tiredly, massaging his brow with his left hand. "You're keeping an eye on him then?"

"Of course."

"Thank you. These next few weeks, before Halloween, they're critical-"

"I know."

Lucius frowned. "Yes, of course you would. Forgive me. I'm-. We're a bit worried."

"I'm certain the spell worked just fine, Lucius, but I'll be watching him closely for any signs. Should anything happen, rest assured that I will do everything in my power to ensure your son's health and safety. Far be it from me to neglect the needs of a _Malfoy."_ Snape ended snippily. The truth of the matter was, watching Lucius' brat son was hardly at the top of his list of priorities. He was a busy man, after all.

"Enough, Severus. I know that this venture has been taxing on you, but you must know that we had no other choice-"

"Yes, yes. I've heard all of this before." The dark man snapped impatiently. "_Numerous_ times. Your lovely wife unable to conceive, the need for an heir, your only choice, etcetera, etcetera . Spare me, please."

Lucius' drunken eyes hardened suddenly within the green flames. "Severus. You do know that you will be well compensated when my son is found to be in good health? I don't want to hear your complaints. My son's life could well be in jeopardy, and you are the only eyes I have in that school."

The Potion's Professor nodded. "Of course Lucius. I'll be in touch." He paused. "I just think it would be wise for you to prepare for the worst. That way, you won't be disappointed."

Lucius growled. "No, I'll just be devastated. Good night, Severus." The light flickered out.

xxxx


	4. Part 3

Title: _legare__ malade_

Genre: Romance/Drama/Angst

Pairing: HP/DM

Rating: M

Summary: **AU.** There was never a boy who lived, only a boy who died.

Draco Malfoy is ill. Harry Potter is a Healer. Lucius Malfoy is desperate. Slash.

_Disclaimer: I don't own a thing. It's all the property of J.K Rowling, and this story is being written for entertainment purposes only. Not a dime is being made._

xxxx

3

Severus cavalier attitude was most disconcerting. Draco's life depended on the Potions Master's eyes to watch over him, and Lucius could not honestly say he was in a position to trust Severus as much as he once had. The trouble was, because Draco's very existence was illegal, considering the magic that had brought him back to this plane, there were very few people out there that even knew of the circumstances of Draco's so-called _birth_, and even his son himself was not one of them.

As far as Draco was concerned, he was a normal sixteen year old pureblood wizard who lacked the magical capacity of others in his class, but more than made up for that deficiency with his mental abilities. He simply wrote off his lacking magical energies as a result of the inbreeding of his ancestral line in their desperate attempt to keep it pure. Lucius and Narcissa had never done anything to make him think otherwise, and it was likely best to keep it that way.

But something needed to be done. Someone else had to be at Hogwarts to watch over Draco. Someone with a background in healing, with knowledge of the dark arts…

The name came to Lucius almost instantly, and he couldn't help but laugh at the irony of it: _Potter._ The blood traitors! Harold Potter. James Potter's son. The young wizard who not only had the necessary dark arts background, having been brought up through Slytherin (much to his parents chagrin), but was currently a student at one of England's finest medical training facilities. Lucius rifled through the contents of his desk and came up with a well read parchment on the healing properties of a rare Russian curse, written by Harry Potter. Initially, he'd sneered at seeing the boys name in his coveted academic journal, but after a single reading he'd been most impressed with the boy's grasp of the curse itself, not to mention the modification and theoretical application. His colleagues at the Ministry were keeping him informed on the transfer of Potter's theoretical research to practical use. Thus far, the leap forward into use on actual patients had gone off without a hitch.

Perfect. Potter was the one. He could help Draco. The only thing left was to find some _reason_ for the young man to be at Hogwarts for the term, at least until Draco was either out of danger, or so far into it that Potter's skills would be most helpful if needed. Lucius sighed. It appeared he'd need to speak to Severus again. The other man was known to keep in contact with Potter, who had become one of his favorite students once the Professor had gotten over the negative stigma he associated with the Potter line. The boy's sorting into Slytherin House had helped matters along, thankfully. The study of potions was an integral part of Potter's current research. It was a shame to think what might have happened to the boy if he and Severus had stayed at odds in the primary years of his education.

With Severus' assistance, there would surely be a way to get Potter to Hogwarts. An accident for one of the teacher's perhaps? Lucius laughed. The famed Defense Against the Dark Arts Position! The cursed teaching position at Hogwarts, where no instructor had lasted longer than a year, and few had lasted even that long. Some ex Auror was teaching it now, and if Draco's letters were anything to go by, the man was somewhat lacking in the brains department. As a member of the board of governors, Lucius had some pull at the school. Surely Dumbledore wouldn't mind his suggestion that Potter replace the poor Auror, given the history the two shared? Yes, they had been quite close, still were if the reports he received were of any relevance.

Lucius stood and gathered his cloak from the ebony rack in the corner. He had a meeting to arrange.

xxxx

Harry Potter wasn't the most patient man in the world, and the gaping expressions on his family member's faces were trying what little patience he had to its limits.

Sirius Black spoke first, his mouth half full of pot roast that was threatening to end up back on his plate with every syllable. "Harry! Are you mad, boy? You can't seriously be considering meeting Lucius Malfoy! The man is a bloody Death Eater!" Halfway through his rant, Sirius had slammed his fists down on the Potter's dining room table, disturbing the farm animal-shaped salt and pepper shakers and sending Lily Potter into a fit.

"Christ, Sirius! Calm down." James Potter righted his wife's precious moo cow shakers and returned his angry eyes to his son, who sat to his right and was grinding his teeth down to nubs in an effort to NOT blast his Godfather into pieces. "Harry, I didn't spend a fortune on dental wizardry so you could grind it away whenever you're pissed. Now please explain the situation in full-"

"James, what's to explain? This is Malfoy!" Sirius cried in outrage, his eyes wild and desperate.

James Potter held up his hand and effectively silenced his best friend. "Harry?"

Harry snorted, rolling his eyes and grinding his teeth a bit harder just to spite.

"Harry, please continue with what you were saying before your Godfather _kindly,"_ Lily emphasized, "interrupted you." She smiled pleadingly at her son, eager to hear what he had to say. Since Harry had finished school at Hogwarts, she hardly ever saw him. His research often took him far away and for long periods of time.

"Sure mum." Harry smiled weakly, turning to give his mother his full attention. "Lucius Malfoy wants to meet with me regarding my medical research. He seems to believe that I might have something to offer him, and there might be funding available for my future endeavors-BUT, this is just a preliminary meeting." Harry looked at his parents cautiously, his eyes emphasizing that they ought not to start holding their breaths anytime soon. "I figure I have nothing to lose, so I've agreed to meet with him. Besides which," and he glared at Sirius to show that his next point was made solely for him. "I'm twenty-two years old. I'm an adult, and I'm capable of making my own decisions, especially where my research and career are involved."

"But Harry! He's a Slytherin-" Sirius stopped when he realized what he'd said. An awkward silence fell over the table and everyone stared at their plates in discomfort.

"Well, on that note, I'll just be leaving." Harry stood awkwardly and bent to kiss his mother on the cheek. Really, it was no secret that his family hated his Slytherin tendencies. Harry would never forget the looks of shock and disappointment on his parents and godfather's faces when he'd proudly told them he'd been sorted into Slytherin House in his first year. Sirius had even gone so far as to think Harry was joking. Harry hadn't been able to look his godfather in the eye for an entire year after that incident.

"Harry, you don't have to leave." Sirius muttered hastily. "I'm sorry kiddo, but you know how it is-"

"I'm afraid I don't Siri. I honestly thought we'd moved past this issue. Just because Lucius Malfoy is a Slytherin, that doesn't make him an evil person." Harry's emerald gaze was blazing with barely checked anger.

"But Lucius Malfoy is different, Harry. He's evil to the core." Sirius sighed, raking a hand through his thick black hair. "Look, just be careful, alright?"

Harry nodded, and sat back down at the table.

James cleared his throat. "Kate said she would fire-call tonight."

Sirius grinned. "I can't believe that system still works! I thought for sure we'd have been found out by now."

Harry laughed. "Sirius, everyone knows about the link, I swear. No one cares enough to rat us out for it though. Everyone in Slytherin House knew I had the network connected to home, and no one breathed a word about it. Albus likely knows it's there too, but he just turns a blind eye."

"Yeah." Sirius smiled, his eyes twinkling. "So, anyone up for tea?"

xxxx

"Have I told you lately that I love you" Harry cooed, his baritone cracking slightly near the end of his mock ballad.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Just take it, you sod." She stuffed a roll of parchment through the small field as well as the textbook Harry had given her.

"I owe you big time, you know that?" He grinned, scanning over his baby sister's concise notes. "Merlin…I always knew you spent too much time with Hermione when you were a kid, but man!"

Kate laughed. "Yeah, yeah. Just don't get caught on charges of academic plagiarism." Her smile turned into a frown as she suddenly saw a golden opportunity to vent. "You know, it really ticks me off that you have both brains and power…if you'd have actually tried to read that book instead of handing it off to me, you'd have managed just fine. As it sits, I understand that damn thing well enough to write a version of it myself, but the practical application leaves me high and dry. You bloody bastard, you always get off so easy." She huffed, her brows drawing together unevenly.

Harry shook his head. "You know I can always help you practice. Hermione was the same way in school and I helped her out all the time."

"No thanks. So what else is new in the big bad world of post-Hogwarts? Are you seeing anyone yet?" She winked impishly.

"No, not that it's any business of yours." Harry frowned. "I do have a business meeting with Lucius Malfoy though. Apparently he's interested in funding some of my medical research. Sirius thinks he's up to some evil plan, but I think the man just has a genuine interest in the field. Some of my research gets pretty dark."

Kate snorted. "No kidding. I'm surprised I was even able to have that book on school grounds, given some of the material it deals with in the latter chapters." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "I bet he wants to talk to you about his son."

Harry cocked an eyebrow, barely visible in the flames. "His son?"

"Yeah." Kate frowned. "Draco Malfoy. He's in my year. He gets sick a lot, but he does a damn good job of hiding it. I only found out this year, by complete accident, and he's been in the same classes as me since first year."

Harry frowned, concern evident in his voice. "What kind of sick, Kate?"

"I'm not sure exactly. It seems like he always has a cold though, and he's small for his age, now that I think about it. He's the same height as me, for Merlin's sake, and I take after mum."

Harry nodded thoughtfully. Their mother was a petite woman, and from what he remembered of the Malfoy's they were statuesque to say the least. "Interesting. Is there anything else you can think of?"

"No, not really. Sorry."

"Not a problem. Thanks for the head's up. If that is what Malfoy is interested in me for, at least I might have something to say to him about it now."

"Yeah, and you can impress him with your knowledge and Slytherin wit." Kate crossed her eyes in a childhood impression of a sly snake. Harry laughed.

"Anything else new at school?" Harry checked the clock, and realized how late it was. The conversation wouldn't last much longer, and he didn't want Kate to feel unappreciated.

"No. Well, we are getting a new defense teacher, apparently. Poor Professor Nazareth had a terrible accident- something to do with a mysterious poison. He was trying to convince Professor Sprout to assist with a demonstration and wasn't paying attention in the Herbology lab…..the facts are all a bit blurry Harry, you know how it is here, but the Headmaster gave an announcement. Professor Snape is covering lectures until they can find a replacement." Kate shook her head. "That position is cursed. It's demented, how many teachers we go through."

Harry nodded, remembering his own mismatched DADA education. Most of what he'd learned had been from fellow Slytherins, ironically. Everyone assumed that Slytherin House was the one harboring evil, not working to eliminate it. Hermione Granger had been the only non-Slytherin he knew of that took the Slytherins for more than face value. It had paid off into a wonderful working relationship between him and the muggle-born witch. She was still a valuable academic colleague of his. He often regretted that they weren't able to leave all their prejudices at the door and become closer friends. She was a wonderful young woman. The barriers between them hadn't stopped her from becoming close with his little sister though, despite the age difference, as the two shared a remarkable affinity towards learning. He snapped back to attention when Kate cleared her throat. He blushed, though he knew in the tinted flames Kate wouldn't notice. "Well, hopefully it won't be long. I can't imagine two classes with Severus is the highlight of everyone's schedule."

Kate giggled. "Oh, you should hear the Gryffindors moan."

They both laughed at that.

xxxx


	5. Part 4

Title: _legare_ _malade_

Genre: Romance/Drama/Angst

Pairing: HP/DM

Rating: M

Summary: **AU.** There was never a boy who lived, only a boy who died.

Draco Malfoy is ill. Harry Potter is a Healer. Lucius Malfoy is desperate. Slash.

_Disclaimer: I don't own a thing. It's all the property of J.K Rowling, and this story is being written for entertainment purposes only. Not a dime is being made._

_xxxx_

4

Draco couldn't concentrate. On anything. The Slytherin common room was usually a safe haven against the idiotic behavior of teenagers in general, but for some reason, the hormonally unbalancing charge that left the rest of the castle incapacitated had managed to permeate between the cracks in the thick stone walls…leaving the common room in utter chaos.

People were kissing. Everywhere.

It made studying quite the chore, and Draco had long since abandoned his potions textbook to the safety of his lap and was now vainly trying to ease the pressure that was rapidly building in his temples. He had half a mind to try and use his Prefect status to dissuade his house mates from continuing with their…prospects of passion. However, he wasn't a fool, and he knew that such an effort would do nothing to enhance his popularity, which seemed to be deteriorating quite rapidly of late. "Malfoy, you haven't taken your potion yet." A soft voice punctured his train of thought, and Draco gave a start in his seat before sinking more deeply into the soft leather of the armchair. Rhoswen Rainwater had appeared at his side with her usual stealth, a small vial hidden in the palm of her pale hand and slipping with uncanny skill into his own pocket…all without Draco feeling a thing. The small girl bowed her head slightly before disappearing again into the crowd of students.

Rainwater had been commissioned by his father last year to ensure that Draco never forgot to take his potions….a task that had previously fallen onto the shoulders of two older students, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, whom after spending no less than a decade at Hogwarts, had finally finished their Newt level courses. Albus Dumbledore had really been too generous in allowing those two to continue their studies at Hogwarts well into their twenties. In fact, in their final year, their Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor had been a year younger than them. The situation had been quite awkward for the young professor, who had never returned to teach. Draco suspected his father's influence had a great deal to do with Crabbe and Goyle's extended stay at Hogwarts. Draco had thought he'd be on his own after they left, as he had been in fifth year at that point and certainly old enough to remember to take a simple potion. His father had decided otherwise. Apparently, someone four years younger than him had more trust that he did.

Rhoswen was a second year student, and when she'd arrived at Hogwarts last year, many students had mistaken her for a Malfoy. She bore the same pale features as were dominant in the Malfoy line, and even followed a ridiculous archaic ritual that required her to keep her snow-white hair bound in two bloody awful braided buns on the side of her head. It was a testament of virtue in pureblood circles, and Draco vividly remembered Pansy Parkinson sporting the same hairstyle when he was a small child.

All the muggle-born students teased her relentlessly about something called a "Princess Leia," though Draco himself had no idea what they were on about. For her part, Rainwater dealt with the teasing as any proud pure blood should: she ignored it completely and walked the halls with a quiet dignity that Draco respected deeply.

The girl had never failed to remind him of his potions, and her discretion was greatly appreciated. Draco couldn't possibly make it in Slytherin House if his condition was made public knowledge. Remembering that he ought to retreat into a more private atmosphere to take said potion, he stood up from his seat and casually sauntered into the sixth year boys' dorm, throwing his potions textbook onto his bed to glance over before he went to sleep. He sat on the bed slowly and cast a quick charm to draw the curtains before he uncapped the foul-smelling potion and downed it in one gulp.

Thank goodness it tasted better than it smelled.

The familiar sensation of dizziness swallowed him up, and Draco gratefully rested his head on his pillow, closing his eyes before the world swirled around him. He hated his condition. Truthfully, he didn't know much about it, as every time he brought the subject up with his parents, they would swiftly quell his curiosity and move onto another topic.

All he knew was that if he didn't take his potions, he would die. That universal truth had been laid down by his father as soon as Draco had been old enough to understand words.

He coughed suddenly, his small body shriveling up into a defensive position as he readied himself to ride out the muscle spasms he knew were coming.

Any minute now…

"Oi! Malfoy! You in here?"

"Go away Olli!" Draco snapped, though it came out sounding rather feeble even to his own ear.

Oleander laughed. "What're you doing Malfoy, having a wank?" He pulled back Draco's bed curtains and winced when he saw his friend cuddled up, his posture telling what Draco refused to reveal himself. "Not again, Draco." He sighed, looking around to make sure no one had followed him into the room. "You okay?"

Draco nodded, burrowing further into his pillow. "Just leave me alone, please Olli?" He knew he couldn't keep everything from his friend, having been discovered by the bigger boy several times before in this same scenario. However, he didn't need anyone watching while he suffered. It was embarrassing enough that Olli knew about it at all.

"Sure thing Drake. You need anything?"

"No" Draco thanked Salazar for Slytherin tact; his friend understood.

Olli pulled the curtains closed and retreated from the room. Just as he left, he picked up a well-read Quidditch magazine off the desk next to the door. Alexander Nott met him just outside. "What's going on?"

Olli grinned devilishly and thrust the magazine at Nott. "Nothing, ickle Drackie fell asleep wanking to Big Bad Harry again." He laughed at the expression on Nott's face as the smaller boy dropped the magazine in disgust. The picture of seventeen year-old Harry Potter on the cover scowled as the magazine fit the floor, shaking a snitch-filled fist at Nott.

"Merlin, Malfoy! You poofter!" Nott shouted as he took off back into the common room. Olli quit smiling. He hoped Draco wouldn't kill him when he woke up. He knew something was wrong with his friend, but they never talked about it. It wasn't the pure blood way. So, Olli made up excuses for Malfoy. He was positive that Draco would have a much easier time dealing with a rumor of homosexuality than if people were to know something was just plain _wrong_ with him. Besides, it was only a rumor. Olli laughed at himself. Oh yes, he'd seen the way Draco looked at his sister.

Back in bed, despite his aches and exhaustion, Draco blushed. If Olli only knew how many of his dreams were filled with smooth muscles and sable-black hair…he wondered what his friend would say about it. He stretched out to get more comfortable, tossing the potions text book aside in favor of burrowing under the covers. He didn't feel like studying anymore.

It wasn't long before he fell asleep.

xxxx

"Harry, blimey is it true!" Blaise Zambini scooted over in the booth to make room for the new arrival. Harry obligingly took the offered seat and ordered himself a pint with a nod at Tom. The Leaky Cauldron was ever a reliable establishment in that respect.

"Is what true, Blaise?" Harry asked tiredly, removing his scarf and stuffing it behind him in frustration.

"That you've been asked to teach DADA at Hogwarts?" Blaise asked over the rim of his mug.

Harry nodded. "Albus sent me a letter inquiring about my interest in the position. Not ten minutes later I got a letter from the University granting me permission to take a leave of absence in my graduate studies. Albus must have made all the arrangements before even asking me about it." Harry smiled as his beer arrived.

"So are you going to take it?" Blaise's interest shocked Harry a bit, but he made no outward indication of it.

"I don't know yet. I still have a meeting with Lucius Malfoy tomorrow afternoon that I'm most interested in. I guess it depends on what Malfoy has to say. It's been awhile since I've dabbled in the spell work involved for defense. Mostly I work with real dark arts spells now, and applying them to medicine."

"But you did teach the DA when we were in school. Rumor has it that your sister keeps it running these days."

Harry smiled. "She tries. Just last night she was flapping at me about her inability to master the practicum, but she must do okay. There haven't been any major complaints thus far."

"I think you should take the job, no matter what Lucius Malfoy tells you tomorrow." Blaise announced solemnly.

"So eager to see me off to Scotland, Zambini?" Harry furrowed his brow in mock hurt.

"Stop pouting, Potter. Merlin knows I don't know how I'll get on without you, but it is a good opportunity. Plus, there are benefits." Blaise smirked.

"Benefits? What kind of benefits are there to hanging around in a dank castle in the middle of nowhere, with a bunch of bratty kids in close proximity to Severus Snape?" Harry sneered.

"Not all the kids are bratty. Some of them are quite sweet, quite…innocent."

Harry gaped at his friend. "You're a pig, Blaise Zambini. Not only is what you're proposing ILLEGAL, it's also…completely immoral." Harry drowned the rest of his tirade in his drink. Blaise was notorious for his seduction of younger partners, but minors? That was a bit ridiculous. "Besides," he added with a smirk, "I prefer older men."

"Comon, Potter. Think about it…all those pretty boys around, just begging you to discipline them when they step out of line."

Harry almost spit his drink out all over his friend. "I KNOW you're not insinuating what I THINK you're insinuating." He glared at Blaise, daring him to say otherwise.

Blaise's dancing dark eyes said it all. "Well Harry, you did spend an awful lot of time in detention with Professor Snape-"

Harry stood up abruptly. "That's it! I can't believe I once called you my friend!"

Blaise laughed. "Sit down, you're making a scene. You also just admitted to liking older men. How much older are we talking about here, Potter?"

Harry blushed, but sat, choosing not to dignify the last question with an answer. "I still can't believe you said that," he huffed, draining the last of his pint. Zambini flagged for another.

"Yes you can. Look, I'm serious though, you should consider the job. Everyone knows it's cursed, so it's not like you'd be making a lifetime commitment."

Harry snickered. "Alright friend, I'll consider it."

xxxx

Harry started from sleep when he heard the distinct rapping of someone at his door. His snowy owl, Hedwig, hooted softly beside the window, and Harry grouchily pulled himself from bed. Throwing on a robe, he padded to the door. "Who the bloody fuck calls on me at-" he glanced at the clock, "four o'clock in the fucking morning!" He threw the door open wildly and stared in shock at his visitor. "Wood," he snipped at his ex.

"Harry, bloody hell, why'd you change the wards!" Oliver Wood looked very displeased at this new development.

Harry crossed his arms over his chest and leaned casually against the door frame, his body effectively blocking Wood's entrance. "You're sober." It wasn't a question.

Oliver blinked. "Of course I'm sober, you sod. Though I have no plans to be soon." He held up a bottle of vintage he'd had tucked under his arm. "Come on, let me in and we'll celebrate together!"

"Celebrate what? Wood, it is four o'clock in the morning. Some of us have work that needs doing and would like to sleep." Harry tried to glare at Oliver, but when the older man turned his eyes on Harry, he knew he was lost.

"Your new post at Hogwarts, of course!" Oliver smiled weakly. "I had to read about it in the bloody paper, Harry. You're going off to Scotland, and you never even told me."

"What! What do you mean you read about it in the paper? I haven't even accepted the position yet!"

Oliver smirked. "Then someone accepted it for you, love."

"Don't call me that. You have no right to call me that, don't you remember? We're split, Wood. It's over, has been for months." Harry couldn't look at him then. It was no secret to him and his friends that he'd taken the break-up badly, and that he still pined for Oliver on occasion.

Oliver shrugged. "Maybe I haven't forgotten. Maybe I just wanted to wish you a fare thee well." While left unsaid, his intentions were crystal clear.

Harry suddenly realized that he would probably be headed to Hogwarts sometime within the next few days. Unbidden, his memories pulled up images of his own professor's while he'd attended school. Most of them didn't look very happy. In fact, they'd looked quite severe…like they hadn't gotten any action in a LONG time. Harry paled. "Come on in, Oliver." He stepped aside.

Oliver smirked and stepped into the unfamiliar flat. Harry had lived with him when they were together, and from the size of the flat, and the complete chaos within, Harry wasn't the tidiest bachelor in the world, but that didn't matter.

It didn't matter because Harry was chewing his lip in the most adorable fashion, and Oliver forgot all about the wine he'd brought in favor of tasting that delicious flesh again.

He set the bottle on the table beside the door and swept over to Harry, leaning up to catch that lip in his own. Harry groaned. "Take me to bed, love." Oliver whispered.

Harry knew he would live to regret this later, but the aching sensation that coursed through his body was too much. It had been far too long. He slipped his hand in Oliver's and silently led him into the flat.

xxxx

Oliver Wood was deathly quiet in bed. Now that the glamour of being in love with him had faded, Harry could see it for what it was: like fucking a corpse. The older man barely breathed, let alone moaned, as Harry so desperately wanted to make him do. He wanted a lover who appreciated the work he put into pleasure, and he wanted to hear that appreciation.

When their relationship had been new, Oliver had been quite surprised to find that Harry was more of a lion than a kitten in the sack. He'd assumed that because he was older and wiser that he would be the one leading the parade.

He'd been wrong. Luckily for him, he'd never minded bottoming during sex, because there was no way in hell that he'd have topped Harry Potter.

In the year that their relationship had lasted, he'd been inside Harry twice, and Harry had somehow managed to top even while bottoming. The experience had been exceptionally rare, and so tense that Oliver had found it rather lacking. He got off much easier when Harry was thrusting so deep inside him he could feel it in his throat, commanding him not to come until he said so.

Now was no different. Oliver was on his hands and knees, his legs spread so far open he could barely keep himself up, but he managed. Harry was inside him, and that was all.

It felt incredible, but in the eight months since he'd left Harry, Oliver had found more enjoyable sex elsewhere. He didn't want to submit to Harry anymore.

After they'd both found release, they lay panting, but neither one was comfortable enough to sleep. After awhile, Oliver gave in. "Maybe I should go."

"Yeah, that would be good."

xxxx


	6. Part 5

Title: _legare__ malade_

Genre: Romance/Drama/Angst

Pairing: HP/DM

Rating: M

Summary: **AU.** There was never a boy who lived, only a boy who died.

Draco Malfoy is ill. Harry Potter is a Healer. Lucius Malfoy is desperate. Slash.

_Disclaimer: I don't own a thing. It's all the property of J.K Rowling, and this story is being written for entertainment purposes only. Not a dime is being made._

**Yeah, the title is a hash job. If you have knowledge of Latin or French and want to help me fix it, send me an email. You will be credited. I'll give cookies!**

xxxx

5

Lucius Malfoy was extraordinarily pleased with himself. He was in his office at Malfoy Manor, and he had Harry Potter sitting across from him, a bewildered expression on the boys face.

A magical contract lay on the desk between them, unsigned, but Lucius had a feeling it wouldn't be that way for much longer.

"Let me get this straight, Mr. Malfoy." Harry began, though his nervousness was making it quite difficult to speak. "You want me to work at Hogwarts and make things easier for your son. The details of the assignment will be forthcoming only _after_ I sign this binding contract which will prevent me from slipping said details to anyone else. In exchange, you're going to agree to fund my research until my life expires?"

"That is correct, Mr. Potter." A smile flitted across Lucius' face before disappearing into his Malfoy mask.

Harry gaped. The money involved in such an arrangement was a phenomenal amount. He himself came from a wealthy family, but they certainly weren't wealthy enough to offer _that._ "What's the catch?"

"The catch, Mr. Potter, is that you don't know what you're getting yourself into until you sign the binding contract. Once signed, you must fulfill the task without question or the arrangement will be forfeit. Also, I'll require compensation."

Harry nodded, rolling what he knew over in his head. Lucius had secrets; there was no question about that. He wanted Harry stationed at Hogwarts in case something happened to his son. Given what Kate had said about Draco Malfoy's health, and Harry's knowledge on dark curses, it didn't take a genius to piece together the evidence. Something very bad had happened to Lucius' son, and now he needed help to clean up the mess, while at the same time preventing any outsiders from blabbing to the Aurors.

The only question was, what had happened? Harry looked at the contract once more. It was truly a piece of Slytherin genius. Even the wording on Harry's payment, "until his life expires" was classic Salazar. Harry had no doubt in his mind that if he were successful in the task Lucius was setting to him, that the elder Malfoy would find some way of making a pass at his life so he wouldn't have to pay. Still, his parents Gryffindor tendencies hadn't completely overstepped him. He found himself itching to see what was wrong with Malfoy's son. He wanted to be the one that helped the boy, the one that saved the day.

Sirius would be so proud.

Likewise, his Slytherin side was evaluating all that he hoped to gain. Lucius would try and kill him, of that there was no doubt, but since he wasn't stupid enough to believe otherwise, he also had a chance.

And this would mean funding for his research. He'd never have to get down on his knees and beg the ministry to sign permission papers for funding.

He knew he should probably wait to give Lucius his answer, but his curiosity was killing him. He wanted to know what the secret was, and he wanted to know now.

Damn that Gryffindor impulsiveness. After all these years, he still couldn't quell it completely. The conversation he'd had with the sorting hat in first year had been most interesting in determining who he was. He still hadn't told anyone about it, not completely. Eventually, they'd agreed on Slytherin if only to end the atrociously long conversation.

Harry remembered being mortified at having to argue with a hat in front of all those people.

He signed the contract.

"Excellent!" Lucius practically purred, causing Harry some slight distress as his pants tightened at the sound.

Harry watched as the contract rolled itself up and disappeared in a shower of silver sparkles, presumably on its way to be filed at the ministry. Scant seconds later, Harry could feel the magic binding himself to Lucius Malfoy as a servant of the deed. Now he just had to discover what that deed was. "So, what's this secret of yours, Malfoy?"

"I killed the Dark Lord." Lucius deadpanned.

Harry's blank look was worth more than a thousand words. "Oh really?" he finally managed. "And why would you do something like that, given your political predilections?"

"It's very simple. The Dark Lord killed my son. I in turn, killed the Dark Lord."

"How is that simple, Lucius?" Harry asked irritably. "No one knows what's become of the Dark Lord, and you expect me to believe that you've killed him just because you say so?"

Without further ado, Lucius rolled up his shirt sleeve, revealing a column of smooth creamy flesh. The sight of it did strange things to Harry's insides, but he quelled the feeling before it would show on his face. "What? What does this mean?"

"Fool of a boy. I was a known servant of the Dark Lord. He marked all of his servants. The mark has vanished, and that is only possible if the maker is deceased. I'm telling you he's dead, and that I killed him."

Harry tried to remain skeptic, but he knew all about the mark. If Lucius didn't have it anymore, then the Dark Lord truly must be dead. Funny how Severus had never said anything…"Yes, because he killed your son. Why on Earth would he do that, Malfoy?" Harry sneered, his tone laced with sarcasm as he watched that tempting arm disappear back under Malfoy's tailored sleeve.

"Because I allowed him to, Potter." Lucius waited a moment for that to sink in. The wait was far shorter than expected.

"You let some insane wizard with a hatred for muggles kill your own son?"

"Yes, but not without reason. Allow me to explain. In the early eighties, right around the time you were born, there was a prophecy made that clearly stated a child would be born with the power to destroy the Dark Lord. With a bit of study, we discovered that it was my child that filled the role in the prophecy. At the time, I would have done anything to serve the vision of my Lord, and so I granted him permission to take my sons life after we discovered the truth."

Harry gaped at the man across from him. That a man could hold so little love for his own child was repulsive. He closed his eyes, privately mourning for the child who'd never had a chance to live. "Go on."

"It was only after the deed had been done that I realized what a terrible mistake I'd made." Lucius' sneer ran even deeper as the words left his lips. "What kind of wizard kills another with his bare hands?"

"I'm sorry?"

"The Dark Lord took my sons life not with a curse, but with his bare hands. Someone had warned him that using the killing curse would have dire consequences. Instead, he prepared an elaborate ceremony, laying my son on a dais here in the manor. He muttered all kinds of words in that snake tongue of his, and then he strangled my son with his bare hands. It was disgusting, seeing the most powerful wizard in the word, taking the life of a baby with his hands. It was so…muggle." Lucius shook his head.

Harry couldn't move, his disgust was so deep it pulled him into a temporary state of paralysis. "You, Lucius Malfoy, are the most disgusting human being I've ever met in my life. You mean to tell me that you had no qualms about letting a mad man kill your innocent child, but the _manner_ in which he did so spurred you into action against him?"

Lucius nodded. "Yes, that is precisely what I'm telling you."

Harry shook his head, completely bewildered.

"However, it is not that which concerns you, but that which happened afterward." Lucius rose from his desk and began pacing the small room. "It's no secret that I dabble in the dark arts. The Aurors have raided this house so many times I've lost count." He paused, collecting his thoughts. There was only so much he wanted Potter to know. Obviously, Harry would need to know about Draco. Not everything, but enough to make the young man understand what the situation was so that he would be able to assist when necessary.

Lucius had been very careful when planning out what Harry was to know, but now as he sat looking at the younger man, he was beginning to think the original plan might not work out. Potter's disgust in him as a father was a bit of a surprise. Sure, he'd not expected Potter to leap for joy when he announced that he'd allowed his son to die, but the vehemence in the young man's reply had throw Lucius off his game. Potter wouldn't be impressed to learn how Lucius had come to have a son – no, he'd have to gloss it over. Necromancy was ten times worse than a simple unforgivable curse.

This simply would not do.

He could however, play the line of regretful father to a tee. Potter would think he was trying to redeem himself, and the young man's pity would be useful. "When Draco was born," He started. "We were overjoyed. We had the chance to start afresh, and without a Dark Lord reigning over us, we could raise our son in the kind of environment a child deserves. We were given a second chance"

Harry swallowed, bile rising in his throat. "I suppose things weren't all roses and sunshine as you had thought?"

Lucius smiled charismatically. "No, Mr. Potter, they were not."

"What is wrong with your son, Lucius? We both know that I study the dark arts for healing purposes. That is no secret. My sister goes to school with Draco, and she told me that your son suffers from chronic illness. Taking what you've already said into account, I'm assuming this isn't some common ailment."

The elder Malfoy nodded. "No, Draco's condition is far more mysterious. I'm afraid I myself have no idea what ails him, and that's why I've asked for your assistance. He must have come into contact with some dark arts spell when he was a child, but I have no idea which one." Lucius hoped the ruse would work.

Harry knew Malfoy was keeping something from him. He also knew that that information was vital to discovering what was wrong with the man's son. However, it was also obvious that Malfoy didn't want Harry to know what that information was. "What do you know than, Malfoy?"

Lucius paused. There was a chance that Potter would be able to help Draco without knowing he was essentially a walking corpse. "I know that somehow, my son has been cursed. I know that his ailment leaves him weak and has prevented his growth. I know that he has limited magical resources. I know that I don't expect my son to live past Halloween."

"Halloween!" Harry looked frantically for a calendar, spotting one on the far wall. "Malfoy, that's…two weeks away! You're just contacting me now! I can't do anything for your son in two measly weeks!"

Lucius face hardened instantly. "Well, you'd better Mr. Potter, or else your own life won't be worth a knut."

"What! Are you threatening me, Malfoy?" Harry's Gryffindor fury was out of the cage now. He wanted to throw something, desperately. This sniveling conniving bastard dared to threaten him!

"You mean to tell me that you didn't read the last section of the contract? I told you that if the contract wasn't fulfilled, I would require compensation." Steel eyes met emerald green, glinting dangerously in the low light of the study.

"What compensation?" Harry's tone had a desperate edge to it.

Lucius retrieved his wand from its hiding place in his walking stick and rapped his desk twice. Two copies of the original contract appeared on the table. "Read for yourself, section 24b."

Hands shaking, Harry unfurled the parchment before him, his eyes scanning to the required section. His heart stopped beating in his chest as the words formed in front of his eyes. _Fucking idiot!_

"As you can see, it clearly states that if you aren't successful in finding a cure for my son's ailments-"

"I'm dead."

xxxx

"So, now I have to somehow throw together a curriculum for DADA in the next week, while hashing my way through this first week of lessons using the other professor's notes. What have I gotten myself into?" Harry sighed, rubbing his tired eyes in frustration. He hadn't slept since his meeting with Malfoy two days ago, and he hadn't gotten much headway on the class curriculum at all, since all of his time had been devoted to searching every text he could think of to help save Draco Malfoy's life.

Lucius had given him an envelop that outlined his son's medical schedule, prior diagnosis, and even a list of curses that might be the cause of Draco's current condition. After reading it, a wave of pity stronger than anything Harry had ever known had washed over him.

Draco Malfoy was one seriously fucked kid.

Apparently, he was not only sterile, but completely impotent. There were few signs that he would ever undergo a full transition into sexual adulthood, as even at the age of sixteen, he had very little body hair, and the last medical examination had shown no signs of his testicles ever dropping. For a boy his age, he stood at a meager 5'3", and while he did share his parents' lovely fey features, Draco's pale skin and hair was a case of extremes. He wasn't permitted outside for long periods of time without the aid of a skin-desensitizing potion, for he burned very easily. His eyes were deformed in a similar manner, and muggle sunglasses had proven to be the only means by which Draco could safely protect his eyes outdoors.

The muggles would have medically declared him albino, but there was no such term in the magical medical community. Really, there was _so_ much that could be wrong with Draco that Harry knew just by looking at the folder that he was fucked. Royally. There was very little chance that he would both find and cure Draco's sickness before Halloween. It would take a fucking miracle. Draco might as well be a walking corpse.

Harry stared at the massive pile of paper he had to sort through. He'd commandeered his parents' dining room table for his own needs, declaring that Sunday dinner could easily be held elsewhere. His stress level had never been as high as it was now. Not only was he terrified about the results of his secret assignment, but it had suddenly occurred to him that afternoon that he was returning to Hogwarts. To _teach._ Merlin, he had no idea of where to begin…

"Honey, you really do need to relax." Lily Potter entered the dining room and placed a mug of tea on the lone bit of space on the table, urging Harry to take a sip. "Remus is on his way over, and he says he'd be more than happy to help you out. He'll be here shortly, so take a breather, alright love?"

Harry smiled weakly at his mother, accepting her gift of tea. "Thanks mum."

"Are you sure there isn't something else bothering you? You've given lectures at the university before, Harry, and you do have a little bit of teaching experience from that club of yours. You really shouldn't be so worked up over this."

Harry frowned. His mother really was too perceptive for her own damn good. "Really mum, I'm fine. I'm just nervous."

Lily looked skeptical at his answer, but nodded gently and returned to the kitchen. She'd hoped that she would be able to persuade Harry into having a heart to heart, but her son had always been a closed book when it came to her. Even James had trouble getting through to him. It hurt, but the realization that Harry connected better with his Godfather Sirius and Remus Lupin than he did with his own parents had been necessary in helping all of their relationships grow. At first, Lily had been so distraught over Harry's attitude that she'd not wanted to have any other children; afraid that they would grow away from her as her son had. That was why there was such a considerable gap between Harry and Kate. Luckily, Kate proved to be just the opposite of Harry, and Lily felt her relationship with her daughter couldn't be healthier. In fact, it sometimes made her sick that she got along so well with her daughter. Surely they should argue over some things?

The sound of the floo pulled Lily from her thoughts, and she moved into the living room to receive Remus Lupin with a smile. Her relationship with Remus really would never be the same. Despite all their efforts, she really couldn't fully forgive the fact that Harry would talk to Remus about anything and everything, but would be stiff and formal when it came to her. She couldn't quite help the leap her heart made into her throat as she watched her son come charging out of the dining room to hug his mentor.

Harry had never gone out of his way to show so much affection to her. Eyes stinging, Lily returned to her kitchen alcove, picking up the novel she'd left on the counter to glance over while she finished preparing dinner.

"Remus, I don't know what the hell to do!" Harry ran a hand through his thick hair, causing the wild mass to stick up even further, if such a thing were possible.

Remus Lupin smiled, helping himself to the leftovers of Harry's mug of tea. He removed a folder from his satchel and set it on the table. "I'm always happy to assist, Harry."

Remus had taught at Hogwarts in Harry's third year, and had been keeping up on the Ministry's curriculum changes in Defense Against the Dark Arts since then in the hopes that the laws would change, and his werewolf status would be acknowledged as non-threatening so that he could teach again. His year at Hogwarts had been one of the most satisfying that he could recall, and he was immensely jealous of Harry's ability to simply take up the position on a moment's notice. Remus, figuratively speaking, would have killed for such an opportunity. However, he wasn't one to hold a grudge, and it was obvious that Harry could use some help. After all, if the laws _did_ change, he'd want his future students to be well taken care of _now_. "This is the curriculum that I would use if I were teaching Defense this year. I've got everything outlined, including texts and assignments. I made some modifications so that the textbook the students purchased for this year can still be used. All you have to do is follow my outlines, and you're set." He smiled warmly, handing the folder over to Harry.

Harry gaped as the mass amount of work became visible behind the spell that held the tiny folder in place. "So basically Remy, you've done all my work for me?"

There werewolf laughed. "Yes Harry. Just be a sport and don't tell anyone, especially Severus."

"Remus, I swear I could kiss you." Harry was in awe of his mentor. It was obvious that teaching was Remus' one true passion-the folder was overflowing with tips and variations on assignments, notes on what techniques worked with what kind of students. It was absolutely amazing. "I swear if I ever find myself in a position to get you teaching again, I'll do it without question."

"Thank you Harry." Remus smiled, but then frowned as the tension rolling off Harry's body didn't recede. Something else was bothering the young man, and it was something big. "Harry-"

Harry knew what was coming, and stopped Remus with a hand, turning to meet his eyes. "Sometimes I think you know me too well, Remy, but now's not a good time to talk about it. I swear if I think you can help me, I'll come to you, but it's really not something I want to discuss at the moment." Remus nodded, respecting the distance Harry wanted to put on the issue. Harry was grown now, and whatever he'd got himself into, Remus trusted him to get out of it. He'd intervene when asked, but not before hand. He was a bit startled when Harry approached him and drew him into a hug, but returned it lovingly non-the-less. "Thank you Remy. You have no idea how much this, all of it-" he gestured to the folder and indicated their embrace, "means to me."

"Actually Harry, I do."

xxxx

Thanks kindly to everyone who has reviewed thus far!


	7. Part 6

Title: _legare__ malade_

Genre: Romance/Drama/Angst

Pairing: HP/DM

Rating: M

Summary: **AU.** There was never a boy who lived, only a boy who died.

Draco Malfoy is ill. Harry Potter is a Healer. Lucius Malfoy is desperate. Slash.

_Disclaimer: I don't own a thing. It's all the property of J.K Rowling, and this story is being written for entertainment purposes only. Not a dime is being made._

_xxxx_

6

"Fuck me, is that girl ever gorgeous."

Draco rolled his eyes and sighed deeply as his friend continued to salivate over Katherine Potter's arse. The students were outside, enjoying one of the last chances to do so before the long winter set in. It was already too bloody cold, as far as Draco was concerned, if his two jumpers and thick wool robes were any indication. He sat huddled under a tree by the lake, his scarf pulled up as high as possible without looking ridiculous, trying to get through the driest chapter of potions theory ever written. Well…maybe one of the later chapters in the book would be worse, but Draco hadn't gotten there yet. "Comon' Draco, look at her! She's fit enough to pose for Playwizard!" Draco blushed at the implication, but flatly refused to look over at his rival. He was actually quite surprised she hadn't heard Olli's ranting for herself and come over to sock him one; they were certainly sitting close enough.

Too close.

"God, can you imagine her nude? All that milky white skin…and that hair…I wonder if the red goes all the way down? She'd be firm and soft in all the right places…"

Draco finally looked up with the intention of telling his friend to shove off, but the words died on the edge of his lips and his eyes widened in horror. "Olli-"

"Jesus Draco, just take one look at Potter and tell me she's not the hottest piece of arse you ever saw!"

"Harry! You made it!" Kate stood up and ran to her brother, who was currently standing beside a group of Slytherins with a murderous expression on his face.

Oleander Parkinson's complexion lightened six shades and he looked at his friend in desperation. "He's standing right behind me, isn't he?" he asked quietly. Draco nodded. "Oh shite." Draco shook his head. After all, it had been all over the bloody _Prophet_ that Harry Potter was coming to teach. Olli should have known better than to shoot his mouth off.

"Oh shite it right. Care to stand up? Parkinson, is it?" Harry's tone brooked no argument, and Olli found himself standing and turning to face the seriously brassed off brother of his hearts desire.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Harry, just ignore him. Merlin knows I have."

Harry Potter cut a rather imposing figure standing amidst the group of sixth year students. In the years since he'd been away from Hogwarts, he'd filled out his lanky frame with sleek, solid muscle. Just because he was a research student didn't mean he'd spent the last five years in and out of libraries. One research assignment had had him trekking through the Himalayas looking for an ancient document on a particular Asian curse. The results of his torturously athletic existence were more than evident, and the aging he'd done in the past few years had turned his soft baby face into the hardened face of a man, complete with a decent five o'clock shadow that, combined with his hair, gave him a rugged, dangerous appeal. Harry stood several inches taller than Oleander Parkinson, the young man who thought his vocalizations of his fantasies with Harry's own sister to be more than appropriate for an afternoon study session. Harry had heard him ranting and raving as soon as he'd come up the pass. Needless to say, he wasn't impressed. "Kate, as much as you don't seem to mind this ingrate's disgusting appraisal of you, I _do_ mind." Reflexively, Harry began to grind his teeth, a habit he'd picked up in his youth when he became angry.

"Look, Potter-" Oleander began.

"That's _Professor_ Potter, Mr. Parkinson," Harry interrupted, anger gleaming heavily in his emerald eyes. "That'll be twenty points from Slytherin for lack of respect for your colleague-and if I _ever_ hear such disrespect from your mouth again, be it concerning Kate or anyone else, I'll make sure that you never _speak_ again, am I perfectly clear?"

Parkinson stammered, "Yes sir," before quickly gathering his books and heading back to the castle at a run.

"Merlin, Harry. You do take to professor-speak fast!" Kate grinned cheekily, taking her books from a fellow Ravenclaw as her own group prepared to head inside.

Harry shook his head. "I can't believe you let him get away with talking about you like that. It's disgusting. Now, if I'd have walked up and heard him talking about how lovely your smile was, maybe…"

"Oh Harry, you're so old fashioned, you silly Slytherin." She patted him on the head patronizingly.

"A bit more respect, Kate?" Harry moved away from the pawing girl. "Speaking of Slytherins…" Draco had been silent until that moment, staring off into space with a severely blank expression that caused Harry a touch of worry. "Are you alight, Mr. Malfoy?"

Draco blinked and stirred, his eyes widening as a deep blush stole over his cheeks. "Ye-yes." He stood quickly; too quickly it seemed, as all the blood went straight to his head. He knew he was going to fall, but he certainly didn't expect the strong pair of arms around him that kept him from hitting the ground. His blush deepened.

Harry looked down at the boy in his arms and felt the wave of pity return. Merlin but he was small, and he was currently trembling with a ferocity that concerned the mediwizard. "You're sure you're alright?"

Draco pulled out of Harry's arms and straightened his robes with shaky hands. "Yes sir, I'm fine." He stared at the ground, refusing to meet the concerned faces of those around him. Harry bent down and picked up the forgotten potions book, handing it to the young Malfoy. Draco took it gratefully. "Thank you. I'll just go inside now."

Harry frowned but didn't object, though his eyes never left the boy's slight figure until he disappeared over the ridge. Harry was surprised. Though Draco was small, he still showed very little evidence of the physical condition described in his file. Harry had expected the younger Malfoy to be little more than a walking corpse, but he looked to be reasonably healthy. Glamour charms perhaps? Or maybe whatever potions he was taking were stronger in their revitalization properties that Lucius Malfoy had led on. Regardless, the situation was growing more confusing and complicated with each new piece of information, and Harry didn't like it one bit.

"What's up, Harry?" Kate meandered back to her brother after retrieving her own books.

Harry shook his head. "Nothing. We'd best get back inside," he glanced at his muggle wristwatch, "it's almost dinner time."

One of Kate's Ravenclaw buddies whispered something about teaching Harry the _tempus_ spell, but Harry ignored him. He was too busy thinking about his charge to care.

xxxx

"Welcome to Hogwarts, Harry."

Harry smiled at the old headmaster, watching the ancient man with the critical eye of a medic that he hadn't possessed the last time he'd seen him. "Thank you, Albus. I really appreciate this opportunity."

Both men smiled at each other, and Harry was very grateful that Dumbledore hadn't offered him a lemon drop _or_ a cup of tea. He'd also skipped over the obligatory "welcome to Hogwarts" speech and all that babble. Harry had been a student here less than a decade ago, and nothing had changed much in the interim. That meant that Albus wasn't in the mood to placate him, or distract him: Albus wanted to have a chat. Seriously. "Harry, I'm very glad that you were able to accept the position under such short notice. The investigation into Professor Nazareth's untimely illness hasn't yielded much in the way of results, and I thought it best to warn you outright, so that you can keep yours eyes open for any attempts at your own person."

Harry frowned. "I was under the impression that Professor Nazareth's illness was a result of an accident on his own part in the herbology labs…"

Albus Dumbledore nodded gravely. "That is the story that was fed to the students to circulate. The staff however, has our own suspicions. We don't know what happened, Harry, but I want you to be careful. Lentil Nazareth was an accomplished Auror, and while he's been retired from that profession for many years, he still had his reflexes about him."

Harry nodded. "I promise I'll be careful, Professor."

Albus smiled, the twinkle returning to his eyes. "No matter what you say to me about your house of snakes Harry, they can be dangerous. Just use that Slytherin wit you're famous for, and everything will work out fine."

Harry couldn't help but feel there was more to Albus' message than met the eye. This was punctuated when the elder wizard conjured a file out of thin air and tossed it to him. "Poppy Pomfrey has requested that you be given this information regarding one of the students, Draco Malfoy. She also requested that I set up a system with the portraits to alert you when young Mr. Malfoy finds himself in the infirmary."

Harry blinked. This situation had the potential to get awkward very quickly. How much did Albus know? What should he say? He decided to play dumb. If Albus caught him out, he'd go from there. "Alright, Albus, if Poppy thinks she needs a hand with this patient, I have no problems putting my new skills to use."

Albus pursed his lips, his eyes boring through Harry, making the younger wizard squirm in his seat. "I find it interesting to note that Poppy has never asked for assistance on this or any other case in the past. That being said, I know with your expertise in, what is it, _Dark Arts_ spell mutation, that you're the _perfect_ candidate to assist with Mr. Malfoy's-" Albus looked at his own notes to find the exact description, "_mild_, yet unknown malady."

Harry gulped. "Well, a new pair of eyes always helps, doesn't it?" He replied with false cheer.

Albus grinned. "That's the attitude to have my boy."

As Harry left the headmasters office, he couldn't help the small shiver that coursed through him. He clutched Draco Malfoy's Hogwarts rap sheet to his chest and wondered if maybe he shouldn't outright ask Albus for help. He was sure he could give enough information away without stepping out of Lucius Malfoy's contract. Albus was a smart man. Surely he'd figure it out? Two lives lay in the balance after all, and Albus _was_ the wisest, most powerful wizard on the planet. However, the illegality of the potential situation shoved those ideas away. Albus Dumbledore was also the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, and Harry had no intentions of going to Azkaban for signing Lucius Malfoy's contract.

xxxx

Draco shuddered as he pulled on his cock. He could feel the rising arousal that felt like a literal punch in the gut, but for some reason, he couldn't make himself hard. No matter how rough he stroked. He wanted to come, desperately. He could only remember feeling his hot and bothered once before, back in second year when _Quality Quidditch_ had printed the issue with Harry on the cover, and he'd been able to come then. It had felt so good…But since he hadn't ever had an erection since, he'd never felt the need to wank.

He wanted to now though. Harry Potter was back at Hogwarts, and he smelled fantastic.

He could feel the tears of frustration at the edges of his eyes. He felt so hot, like his entire body was on fire, but he couldn't do anything about it.

_YouwillnotcryYouwillnotcryYouwillnotcry_

Not even the family mantra could stop the hot tears from falling as he finally gave up, his limp penis falling between his legs pathetically. He buried his face in his pillow and tried to swallow his sobs.

Harry had held him. Caught him from falling, even. Draco couldn't get over the man's scent. It had followed him all day long, tormenting him…

He tensed when he heard the dormitory door open and the clunking sounds of his dorm mates filled the room. "You sleepin' yet Draco?" Olli all but shouted as he collapsed on his own bed.

Draco didn't answer.

"Of course he's not sleeping," Alexander Nott whispered maliciously. "His favorite wank fantasy is back at school. He's probably in there fucking himself or something."

Draco whimpered.

"HA!" Nott creid victoriously. "I knew it! And the dumb cunt didn't even think to cast a silencing charm. You enjoying yourself, Malfoy? I bet you are!" He gave a fake hysterical laugh, and turned his voice up a notch in his best impression of Draco's soft lilt: "Oh, Harry. Please…I want you to fuck me with your big, hard dick! Oh! Yeah! Put it in my ass now!" He made a crude humping motion while smacking his own ass. "Harder!"

"Shut the fuck up, Nott!" Olli roared, rising from his own bed and throwing a well-earned punch at Nott's nose. The smaller boy hit the floor, staining the carpet as a thick rush of crimson blood erupted from the damaged orifice.

"Owwww. Fuck, Parkinson! You broke my fuckin' nose! I'm gonna kill you!" He began to cry as he slowly picked himself up, his hands covering his face but doing little to stop the blood from flowing. Someone threw him a t-shirt which he hastily attached to his nose for absorption.

"Best get to the infirmary now, Nott. Before the crook becomes permanent." Olli was already walking over to Draco's closed curtains, massaging his right fingers and fighting down his own urge to whine. "Draco, are you okay in there?"

"Yes." Draco's head emerged from the emerald green coverings, eager to see Nott's retreating back. "Did you really hit him?" He wiped at his puffy red eyes, trying to look as casual as possible.

"Course I did. That fucker had it coming. He shouldn't be saying things like that about you." Truthfully, Olli felt guilty that his rumors had been taken so far.

Draco smiled weakly. "Its okay Olli, I don't really care." He bit his lip, staring at the floor. "I think I'm going to try and sleep now." He disappeared back behind the curtains. "Goodnight."

"G'night Draco," Olli meandered back to his own bed, sitting on the edge of it while ignoring the goings on of the other boys in the room. He looked over at Draco's closed curtains, his brow clinched together painfully. That boy was a mystery, really. Later, when everyone was tucked into bed, and the lights had long since been put out, he sat up with a start. Smiling, he whispered in the direction he knew Draco's bed to be. "Draco, no matter what anyone else says. Potter would be good to you." He settled back into bed, sleep finally claiming him.

In his own bed, Draco stared up at the canopy, eyes wide and puffy. "I know." He whispered. He never found sleep though.

xxxx

The bottle of muggle scotch Minerva had given him upon arrival was going down nicely. He'd certainly needed a drink about enduring dinner in the Great Hall. So much noise. He'd forgotten the noise. He shuffled over to his desk and slumped into the well-worn chair gratefully, swirling his glass of liquor while he licked his teeth.

Tomorrow he would be a teacher.

The thought still scared him to death.

He dropped the glass gracelessly on the desk, some of its contents riding the edge and spilling over onto the parchment underneath. Draco's Hogwarts file. Harry yawned and picked it up. He really didn't see much point in reading it, especially after the novel of information Lucius had given him to consume. If the best healers in the world hadn't noted anything of interest, why would Poppy's findings be any different? Besides, he was tired.

He tossed it back on the desk and stood. He'd look over it later. Right now, it was time to go to bed.

Sleep was easy coming, but his dreams proved to be quite stressful. When he awoke in the wee hours of morning, he could swear there had been a body in his arms, trembling viciously and whimpering softly.

He didn't have to think hard about who it might be.

xxxx


	8. Part 7

Title: legatum de maladie

Genre: Romance/Drama/Angst

Pairing: HP/DM

Rating: M

Summary: **AU.** There was never a boy who lived, only a boy who died.

Draco Malfoy is ill. Harry Potter is a Healer. Lucius Malfoy is desperate. Slash.

_Disclaimer: I don't own a thing. It's all the property of J.K Rowling, and this story is being written for entertainment purposes only. Not a dime is being made._

**Credit must be given to the a****bsolutely wonderful Dana for helping me fix my title. Thanks again, Dana!**

xxxx

7

"Now, Mr. Nott, what kind of ruckus did you get yourself into to wind up here at this hour, and with a broken nose to boot?" Poppy Pomfrey had been tending wounds and maladies at Hogwarts for almost half a century, and it never ceased to amaze her how many boys came wandering into her office with bloody noses. In Nott's case, the bloody nose was the result of an all out break. Normally, she wouldn't bother herself with the details of a scuffle. Boys would be boys, after all, but when there was a break, as in this case, she felt it necessary to warn the head of house so that they could keep an eye out. "Who did this to you, my boy?" Nott remained curiously silent. Normally, the Slytherins were among the first to point out their attackers, but considering the hour, it was likely that it was a member from the boys own house that had given him the beating and snakes never ratted out their own. "Come now, Mr. Nott, I haven't got all day. If you want that nose of yours healed properly, you'll tell me who laid into you."

"Malfoy!" Nott spat, his eyes narrowing in distaste. "Bloody pouf."

Poppy stepped back. "Draco Malfoy, Mr. Nott?"

The surly boy nodded. "I was trying to talk to him about Potter. Everyone knows the faggot has a crush on him, and he hit me."

Poppy shook her head. "I'll not have that kind of language in my infirmary young man." She waved her wand and spoke what appeared to be a simple charm. Nott's nose mended immediately. "You might be a bit tender for the next few days. I recommend seeing the House Elves for some ice. Nothing works better for helping the swelling." Nott nodded and made to hop off the examination table. "Not to fast, Mr. Nott." Poppy eyed the student gravely. "I will speak to Professor Snape over this incident. If you wish to press formal charges, you may speak to the Head Master. Otherwise, Mr. Malfoy will receive detention."

Nott rolled his eyes. "That's fine. Like I'm going to press charges against that creep. Do you _know_ who his father is?" He charged out of the infirmary at top speed, presumably in search of ice.

Poppy nodded to herself. Oh yes, she knew who Draco Malfoy's father was. Sitting at her desk, she frowned as she recalled her star patient. No one spent more time in the infirmary than Draco Malfoy.

And knowing that, she also knew that there was no way Draco could possibly throw a punch hard enough to break anyone's nose.

xxxx

"What do you mean, I've got detention!" Draco cried, his pale features rapidly disappearing behind a mask of angry red. "I haven't bloody done anything!"

Severus Snape sighed, and called on his wells of greatly-used patience. "You've been charged with breaking Alexander Nott's nose. I've reviewed the rule book, and since he doesn't want to press formal charges, this punishment will be used to deter you form such acts in the future. You have a months detention, starting tonight. You will report to Mr. Filch's office tonight at eight o'clock, and you will not be late."

Draco's jaw dropped in confusion and awe. "I didn't break Nott's nose! I never even touched him!"

Severus knew this of course. He'd already discussed it with Poppy Pomfrey. If Draco had perchance, socked Nott in the nose, his wrist would have been shattered, and here Draco stood with a perfectly serviceable wrist. However, unless Draco was willing to name the real attacker, he would indeed be forced to pay the price for the crime. "I don't suppose you know who _did_ break Mr. Nott's nose, do you Draco?"

Draco paled. There was no way he could rat out Olli. "No-no sir." He hung his head. His father was going to be furious.

"Then report to Mr. Filch's office at eight o'clock."

xxxx

"Okay class. As you should already know, my name is Harry Potter, and I'll be teaching Defense classes for the remainder of the school year." Harry shuffled nervously, grateful that his desk covered the motion. It wouldn't do for anyone to _see_. "I've been reviewing Professor Nazareth's curriculum, and some of you may be disappointed to hear that we will not be continuing with the unit on Ministry Protocol in the Auror Department. If you wish to pursue that line of study, you are encouraged to do so on your own time, but with the recent outbreak of _fang_ virus in Germany last year, I think it would be more socially relevant to jump straight into vampires, so if you'd please turn to page one hundred and eighteen…"

Harry slumped in his desk and watched as his last class of the day filed out of the room. This work was exhausting. How did the other professor's do it? He suddenly knew why a two month long vacation was necessary. He looked up when he heard the clack of women's footwear on the floor and smiled. "Hello, Kate."

"Hello dear brother." She immediately made herself at home on the desktop. "And how was your first day at school?" She cooed.

Harry rolled his eyes and shook his head tiredly. "I suppose it went well enough. It really is a lot of work though."

"Well, you just wait until they ask you to chaperone the Halloween Party that we want to have."

"I've already been exempt. I have too much work to do already, but I am stuck here over the winter holidays. Professor Nazareth volunteered to stay behind with the children who won't be going home, and I got stuck with the duty when I took up his contract."

"You're not coming home for Christmas!"

"No, unfortunately. You'll have to be extra sweet to mum to make up for my absence."

Kate didn't miss the bitterness in his tone, but she refused to comment on it. They'd had enough fights over their respective relationships with their parents to last a lifetime. "Anyhow, I'd better go, I have some studying to do before dinner. I'll see you then?"

"Of course." He watched her leave and made to collect his own things when yet another set of footsteps invaded the silence of the classroom.

"Professor Potter, I was hoping I would catch you." Harry looked up at Minerva McGonagall. "I have a favor to ask, and I do hope it won't be too much trouble, I know you're just settling in…"

Harry smiled. "Well, you did give me the best bottle of scotch I've ever had, so I suppose I could help you out. What can I do for you?"

Minerva smiled, her heart aching to see the hint of Lily and James that came out in Harry every so often. Harry may have been a Slytherin, but he would always be a Potter first. "Well, we seem to have a scheduling conflict with regards to Mr. Filch." She glanced at the clock. "I have a meeting with Albus in five, so if we could discuss it on the way?"

"Of course." Harry gathered his supplies and followed the elderly witch down the hall.

xxxx

"What a shitty bloody day!" Draco threw his book bag on his bed and followed after it miserably. He wasn't feeling very well at all, and the mornings combined events hadn't served to make him feel any better. He suddenly recalled that he hadn't taken his potions last night before bed, and that was probably why he was suffering now. "Olli! Are you around!"

"Yeah?"

"Go and find Rainwater for me, will you?" He winced as the shouting made his head spin even more.

"Sure thing. What'cha need her for?"

"Just go find her!"

He waited what felt like an eon before he heard the delicate shuffle that was unmistakably Rhoswen Rainwater across the dorm. "Malfoy, are you alright! Oh my goodness, I'm terribly sorry! I tried to find you last evening, but the boys wouldn't let me up!"

Draco groaned as he sat up and looked at the tiny girl. Her eyes were wide with fright, and he couldn't blame her. The wrath of his father was mighty indeed. "Don't worry, I won't tell him, just don't let it happen again. Can I have them now though?" Inwardly he was furious. He was damned well old enough to remember to take his medication on his own, but his father insisted that a little girl be the one to watch over him. It was embarrassing.

Rhoswen shook. "I'm sorry Malfoy, but my instructions are very detailed. In the event that either of us forgets the potion, you're to see the healer immediately. Madam Pomfrey has further instructions after that.

"Then why didn't you come for me this morning!"

"I tried, but you were in a meeting with Professor Snape. I even tried to get a message to him so he could tell you, but I guess it didn't get through. I've been looking for you all morning, I swear!"

"I'm going to miss my afternoon classes because you screwed up." Draco growled while pulling himself up off the bed and stumbling when his head decided it didn't like the jarring motion.

"I'm sorry! I tried though! Alexander Nott wouldn't let me up, and he's much bigger than I, what was I supposed to do?" She shouted angrily. "It's not my fault that your father doesn't think you're responsible enough to take your own medication!" Her hands flew over her mouth as she realized what she'd said. "Oh, Merlin."

Draco sighed. There really wasn't anything for it. If he were normal, he'd be able to intimidate the girl into never speaking out of turn to a Malfoy, and she sure as hell wouldn't have dared to yell at him. As it was, they were the same height, and Draco wouldn't doubt it for a second if she outweighed him. Plus, while she wasn't a Malfoy, her family wasn't one to sneeze at either. "Fuck it, Rainwater. Just help me to the infirmary so I don't crack my head open on the stairs."

xxxx

Argus Filch was thrilled. The Conference on Medieval Torture Mechanisms and Their Modern Counterparts was only twelve hours away. Filch hadn't had anything resembling a vacation since he'd joined the Hogwarts staff decades prior, but he'd casually mentioned that the Conference was coming up while talking to Albus Dumbledore last month, and the very next day, he'd found an envelope on his desk with VIP tickets, arrangements for accommodation, and an International Portkey to Las Vegas. His Portkey was set to activate in minutes, and then he and Mrs. Norris, who was safely tucked away in a carpet bag, would be on their way. He had a friend with secret connections in the Muggle World who would be meeting him in Nevada. He caressed his recently acquired state map lovingly. One whole week. All to himself. The best part of the conference? It was an adults only affair, and there would be no screaming brats around to muck up his fun.

Maybe he wouldn't come back.

xxxx


	9. Part 8

Title: legatum de maladie

Genre: Romance/Drama/Angst

Pairing: HP/DM

Rating: M

Summary: **AU.** There was never a boy who lived, only a boy who died.

Draco Malfoy is ill. Harry Potter is a Healer. Lucius Malfoy is desperate. Slash.

_Disclaimer: I don't own a thing. It's all the property of J.K Rowling, and this story is being written for entertainment purposes only. Not a dime is being made._

xxxx

8

Rhoswen Rainwater was no stupid twit of a girl, despite what anyone said about her. Everyone believed the solitary young girl ought to have been sorted to Ravenclaw for all the time she spent studying or with her nose buried in a book for pleasure.

She knew better, of course.

Her family chose a strategy of precisely implemented neutrality when it came to any sort of politics, and she was no exception to the family rule. Unlike most other pureblooded families, her ancestors had all been sorted evenly among the three Hogwarts houses, and as such, the Rainwater line held no negative stigma towards Hufflepuffs, Gryffindors, or Ravenclaws.

They simply chose not to make such a declaration public.

Rhoswen has been raised in prestige, and while she had never wanted for anything, she wasn't what one would deem spoiled. She had been raised in a strict environment that valued discipline and respect above all else. That was why she adhered to the tradition of the virginal hair binding. She was made fun of my pure bloods and muggles alike for her archaic hair twists, but she insisted on keeping them, despite the fact that her parents would never be the wiser while she was away at school. It was a matter of principle. Besides, after wearing them for so long, she was rather fond of them. They were a mark of character, as far as she was concerned, and bugger anyone who thought otherwise. She'd worked hard all her life to keep up with the disciplined regimen her father had instilled in her, and she wasn't one to let a simple fashion faux pas undermine that effort. He had taught her stealth, strategy and intelligence, but he had also taught her humility.

He had been delighted to learn that his eldest child was a Slytherin, and while her mother had suffered an initial bout of displeasure, it had easily been quelled when Lucius Malfoy had come knocking at their door with his wife and their illustrious social influence in tow.

She'd been aghast at the idea of working for Mr. Malfoy, but her parents had bid her to keep her thoughts to herself and do what she was told. She'd watched, devastated, as her beloved parents were blinded by money and power, but she'd also been wise enough to hold her tongue. It had chilled her to the core that even her baby brother had known something was wrong when he'd pulled her aside and whispered that the bad man "felt funny." She'd been more than a little frightened when Lucius Malfoy had made her sign a contract forbidding her to tell a soul what her duties where, all the while wondering what he had to hide while she'd signed away her soul with a shaking hand.

The truth was far too ghastly to think about, but she had little choice when said "duty" was clinging to her in an effort to not fall on his face.

Draco was a very sick boy, but it wasn't his fault.

She cursed Lucius Malfoy while she hauled his son, four years her senior and one stone less, to Poppy's infirmary. She cursed herself when she saw Draco grow a distinct shade of gray while he stumbled on the stairs. She'd delivered the potions successfully over two hundred times. She'd never blundered on the stairs, forgotten, or supplied an incorrect dosage. Why had she ever allowed Alexander Nott to stop her last night? Truthfully, she'd been afraid. Nott had blocked her path and threatened her the way no Slytherin ever threatened one of their own. He spewed contempt for that "faggot" Draco, and had physically shoved her down the short flight of stairs that led back to the Slytherin common room. She'd debated trying again for two hours before she'd fallen asleep at one of the common room tables. Now, she was regretting every decision she'd made in the last two years of her life, and she was only twelve! Draco heaved suddenly, and his breath made a horrendous sound in his chest. "Oh my, Malfoy!" Rhoswen's eyes widened in fright.

"Mm'okay."

"No, you're not. Hold on, we're almost there!"

xxxx

"Merlin!" Poppy stood up from her seat abruptly, over turning a pile of brochures from St. Mungo's on the next Fundraising Gala. She quickly stepped around the mess and took hold of the other half of Draco Malfoy that was rapidly slipping to the floor. "What the devil has happened to him now?"

Rhoswen's eyes darkened and she couldn't help biting her lip. "I didn't administer his potions last night, and I've been unable to find him until just a few minutes ago."

Poppy threw a cursory glance at the infirmary door, her eyes growing wild. "We'll have to get him into the back. Quickly now, before someone comes along!" The two stumbled with the fragile boy between them, finally getting him through the barrier and into the private confines of the secret room in the back. It was used for patients whose situations were most dire. Draco Malfoy certainly qualified.

"I'm so sorry for causing so much grief, Madam. I tried to reach him, surely I did!"

"Hush girl, it's too late to mope over it now. Help me get him undressed and into bed, and be clinical about it. I don't need any love struck little girls in my infirmary!"

"Excuse me for saying so, Madam, but I hardly suppose anyone could be love struck over a walking corpse."

The two shared a grave look before getting to work on the fallen Malfoy heir.

xxxx

Harry stretched liberally in his seat and patted his full stomach appreciatively. "That really hit the spot."

Severus Snape sneered beside him. "Finally earning your keep, I see. I trust the brats didn't wear you out too badly?"

Harry laughed. "No, I survived, but I dare say after tonight I'm going to need a bit of rest."

"Hot date, Potter?" Snape let a small smile slip in Harry's direction, careful to let anyone else see it. Not that they'd believe their eyes if they did.

The younger man shook his head. "I wish. Unfortunately, I'm supervising detention with Mr. Malfoy this evening, and if Minerva is correct, at least the rest of the week if not longer. I don't suppose you know what he did to deserve such a stretch of time?"

Severus' goblet slipped from his fingers, but he was quick to right it before it hit the table and splashed the contents all over the place. "I thought Draco was serving with Filch?"

Harry's eyebrow twitched at his mentor's reaction, but he chose not to mention it. "No, I guess Filch is taking a much deserved vacation, and there was a scheduling conflict. Minerva asked me to oversee Malfoy's detention instead. Do you always call him Draco?"

Snape glared. "He happens to be my godson, so occasionally, the familiarity will slip out. The detention still starts at eight?"

"Yes"

"Walk with me to my chambers."

Harry frowned, but rose with the potions master when bid him to. Severus said nothing until they were a suitable distance into the dungeons. It was safe to talk in snake territory. "I'll get right to the point, since we both know I abhor Dumbledore's runaround." He paused. "I want you to go easy on Draco during detention. I had made arrangements with Filch, but it seems I'll have to re-make them with you. No physical labor. No outdoor assignments, and if you dare keep him any later than eleven o'clock on any given night, you will be hearing from me, is that clear?"

Harry's brain was processing at a mile a minute and he still couldn't keep up. So Snape was in on Draco's condition as well? Now THAT was interesting. "Sure thing Severus, I'll play teacher's pet for you. Don't worry about it."

Snape's eyes narrowed. "I mean it, Potter. If you ever want access to my research again, you'll do this for me."

"I mean it too, Severus. I won't over tax Draco Malfoy. I promise."

"I'm glad we understand each other."

Harry cracked a grin as Snape swirled his cloak dramatically and stormed down the corridor. He checked his watch, delighted that it still worked inside Hogwarts' disgustingly powerful wards. He had an hour to kill.

xxxx

Poppy wrung her hands in frustration and gazed desperately at the young man now deeply sedated in the bed. She was now at a complete loss. None of the healer's at St. Mungo's had a clue what they were dealing with when it came to Draco Malfoy, and that was why they hadn't been able to help him.

It had been by accident that she'd stumbled across the answer while cleaning up the leftovers of one of her infirmary guests. There had been a magazine with a front page report on new advancements in the field of Necromancy, and it just so happened that Draco had asked to read it when she'd picked the dusty thing off the floor.

In that instant, her brain had exploded as she'd pieced together a puzzle that had plagued her for eighteen long months.

She'd been scared as hell when Lucius Malfoy had shown up a day later demanding her silence and forcing her to sign a bloody magical contract with a secret keeper complex imbedded into it. On pain of death, he'd said.

She should have shoved that bloody cane up his you know what. Albus surely would have helped. Well, hindsight, they say, is crystal clear, and she was too busy to worry over her own regrets.

She pressed a tender hand over Draco Malfoy's brow, wiping the sweaty hair away gently. She ached to see the boy have a real chance at life, but it seemed that it simply wasn't meant to be. Her contract had allowed her to write down everything she knew and found in her own records, but no one was to be given access to them.

When she'd heard that Harry Potter was coming to teach, she'd suspected that he might just be in the know. Lentil Nazareth's "accident" had been far too convenient. She knew from the letter's she'd received all summer that Lucius was very nervous about the upcoming Halloween. It couldn't possibly be coincidence that one of the leader's in curse related therapy and medicine was now a DADA professor in the same school as Draco when the boy could use those services the most? She didn't think so. So, she'd "arranged" to have a house elf misplace the file on Harry's desk. Since she hadn't shown the file to anyone herself, she'd looped out of the contract. And they said Slytherins were the only ones with wit.

The trouble was, Harry had been at the school for over twenty-four hours and he hadn't yet come charging into the infirmary to demand what the trouble was.

She could certainly use a charging Slytherin with a Gryffindor complex now. Se perked up. There was one sitting across from her, wasn't there? "Rhoswen?"

"Yes, Madam?" The girl looked up tiredly. There were dark shadows under her eyes, and she looked in definite need of a pepper-up potion.

Poppy wandered over to her store and retrieved the needed concoction. "Take this, child," she handed over the vial, "and do me a favor. See if you can't make Professor Potter accidentally find his way to the infirmary for no specific reason?"

Rhoswen smiled. "Of course, Madam."

xxxx

Harry smiled as he finished the polishing of the lesson plans for tomorrow's classes. He was feeling quite accomplished, and was finally starting to feel like he might be able to handle the teaching aspect of his job.

This line of thinking inevitably led him to the _other _aspect of his employment, and the headache that went along with it.

Draco Malfoy.

Harry had been through Hogwarts' restricted section that morning, and had come up with nothing. That didn't mean that there was nothing to be found, but it had been disheartening nonetheless. He sighed, and leaned back into the comfy chair that constantly threatened to swallow him. There had to be something he was missing. Lucius Malfoy had been far too smug…

He suddenly remembered that Poppy Pomfrey had been kind enough to leave a file on Draco's medical history here at the school. He'd just been too damned lazy (stupid) to look it over.

Maybe there was something in that file that might start a new line of thinking? It was certainly worth a try. He just had to find the damn thing.

He was shuffling through the papers on his desk, wondering how'd he'd managed to amass so many of the damned things in _one_ day, when he heard a knock at his chamber door.

"Come in!" He yelled, and then ground his jaw in frustration as the stack he was manhandling fell to the floor and dozens of papers flittered across the floor to find hiding places under the furniture.

All was forgotten when he looked up and saw the figure loitering in his doorway. "Can I help you?"

xxxx


	10. Part 9

Title: legatum de maladie

Genre: Romance/Drama/Angst

Pairing: HP/DM

Rating: M

Summary: **AU.** There was never a boy who lived, only a boy who died.

Draco Malfoy is ill. Harry Potter is a Healer. Lucius Malfoy is desperate. Slash.

_Disclaimer: I don't own a thing. It's all the property of J.K Rowling, and this story is being written for entertainment purposes only. Not a dime is being made. _

xxxx

9

Harry's eyes had probably never been wider, but given what they were currently experiencing, no one could blame him.

"Well hello there, _Professor_ Potter." Sibyl Trelawney giggled, sliding her hands down her satin clad torso. "I've come to welcome you to Hogwarts personally."

Harry remembered Professor Trelawney from when he'd been a student. She'd always been a barmy old bat who wore the oddest assortment of clothes, glasses that were worse than the pair he'd owned as a boy, and the weirdest hair.

The woman in front of him was a buxom satin-chemise clad she-devil. It was also painfully honest why she was there.

Harry was very much afraid. "Pro-Professor Trelawney. How nice to see you." _helpmehelpmehelpmehelpme_ His brain was too overloaded to be able to process i how /i the woman had managed to find his chambers dressed the way she was while the halls were filled with students.

Trelawney slammed the door shut and leaned against it in a strikingly sensual pose. "My inner eye has been channeling your lust all day…"

"Lust?" Harry thought about that. He didn't see how that was possible, he hadn't even woken up with wood that morning…oh. "Professor Trelawney, I really don't think this is appropriate."

Sibyl frowned. "Oh, phooey. Tell me you're more fun than that sodding excuse for an Auror."

Harry stuttered. He really didn't want to get into this, but the scenario was rapidly escalating beyond his control. "Prof- Sibyl, I really think you should lea-" His protests were cut off when he suddenly found himself seated back in his chair with a lapful of horny Divination Professor.

"You were such a pretty boy when you were in school, but oh my look at you now! What a man you've become!" She squirmed happily in his lap, and Harry sighed. She wasn't unattractive, in her odd way. He however…

Well, he'd been with women before, but they were usually a rarity. He had to be in a specific mood to sleep with a woman, and he certainly wasn't in one now. "Sibyl, I'm flattered, I really am, but I don't think that this is what you want."

She grabbed his hands and shamelessly attached them to her rounded hips while she pressed herself more tightly to Harry's body. "Come on now, Mr. Potter, let's play."

Harry winced as she began to undulate in his arms, rubbing her ample bosom over his chest. He really felt bad for her now. There was no way in hell he was going to get it up over this display, and he really hoped she wouldn't take it the wrong way…

"What's this? Does little Potter not want to play?"

Harry smiled weakly. "It's nothing personal, Sibyl."

Her eyes darkened and she stopped moving in his lap. "Nothing personal?"

"No, I-"

"Are you trying to tell me that you don't find me attractive?" She shrieked. "You listen to me, you little sonofabitch, I'm the hottest thing you'll ever get your hands on. You're _lucky_ to have me!"

"Trelawney, I swear, it's nothing personal. You're a beautiful woman, I just-" Harry cried out when he suddenly felt well manicured nails digging into his sensitive flesh. His eyes crossed when those nails twisted harshly, and all Harry saw was black…

He didn't know how much time had passed when he came to, but Sibyl was still there. She was leaning against his desk, and had managed to pull a cigarette from somewhere, and she was huffing on it like it was the last one on Earth. He eyed his black teaching robe appreciatively, grateful that she'd deigned to throw it on over her shift. He groaned, the pain in his groin becoming more unbearable with each passing moment. He had to get up though. Standing on shaky legs, he found his chair and sank into it, beads of sweat pouring down his face with the effort. He coughed. "Sibyl, I'm really sorry that I've offended you."

"Offended me?" She snorted. "Don't worry, Potter, I trust you've learned your lesson."

Harry winced. He was beginning to wonder if he'd ever get to use his cock again. "Please let me explain?"

"There's nothing to explain, you miserable ingrate."

"Sibyl, I'm gay."

There was a pregnant pause over which Trelawney became very interested in the colour of the carpet on the floor. "I see." She said, her cheeks tinting lightly.

"Yeah."

"Well then." She coughed miserably, "It seems I owe you an apology then." She wrapped the folds of Harry's robe more tightly around herself. "I'll be going. I'll have a house elf return the robe. Oh, and Potter?"

"Yes?"

"Let's never speak of this, shall we?" She seemed to slip into the airy mode he'd always equated with her personality. "The balance between professionalism and friendship is really, ah…delicate." She flittered out of the room with the same awkward grace she'd had in her classroom for twenty plus years, all traces of the she-cat on the prowl gone.

Harry sighed and winced when he looked at the clock. Draco Malfoy's detention was set to start in ten minutes, and Harry wasn't sure if he wanted to chance walking. "Fucking Merlin on a Firebolt," he rubbed his crotch tentatively. Well, he certainly couldn't go around like this. His face reddened. He wondered if Poppy had ever had to deal with twisted nail-gouged cock before.

Well, there was only one way to find out.

xxxx

Rhoswen rolled her eyes when she saw Professor Potter come limping down the corridor in her direction. It was nice that she didn't have to go looking for the man, but if his pace was anything to go by, he was obviously headed to the infirmary of his own accord. Still, he was a Slytherin, or had been in the past, and she knew the least she could do is offer him a hand….and then pray he didn't want it. "Professor Potter, sir? Are you okay?"

Harry looked up sharply as a body appeared in front of him. He recognized her from one of the classes he'd taught that morning, the Bun-head. Very bright but very quiet had been his initial impression. He towered over her, but as he could see there was no one else around, he wondered…no. "I'm fine thanks. I just need to see Poppy for a moment."

"You don't need assistance then, sir?" Rhoswen noticed her Professor looked a little green.

Harry winced as he lost the hold he had on the wall and had to use his right leg to keep his balance up. The jarring of the limb caused jarring in more intimate muscles. Fuck! He'd be lucky if he made it the whole way without fainting. "No, I'm good. It's right up ahead. You should run along to your common room, yes?"

She nodded, thought she felt guilty about leaving Draco. Still, she had assignments to do, and it wasn't like she had any healing skills to help Draco with. She slipped down the hallway, glancing over her shoulder occasionally to see how Professor Potter was doing. By the time she reached the end of the corridor and looked back, it seemed like he hadn't moved at all.

xxxx

"Madam Pomfrey!" Harry called, a slight hint of a wince in his voice. The infirmary looked empty, and Harry was starting to think that maybe Poppy wasn't in tonight.

That would be very bad.

He was just about to sink to the floor and wallow in the misery of his twisted ah…issues, when he heard her voice come from the back. The mediwitch seemed a bit stressed. "I'm coming, I'm coming. Hold a moment!" Harry seated himself gently in a nearby chair and waited not-so-patiently for the witch to come and save him. He almost cried when she finally made her appearance. "Now, what seems to be the problem!" She asked absently before looking up and catching Harry in her gaze. "Oh my, Professor Potter. You're looking a little worse for wear, aren't you?"

"I don't doubt it." Harry wheezed.

"What's the problem?" Poppy looked over the young man and wondered what the little devil of a Slytherin had done to him to get him here. It figured a Slytherin would use physical harm as a roundabout means of getting someone to her infirmary instead of dropping a subtle _verbal_ hint.

"I, ugh." Harry blushed. "I seem to have a bit of an i intimate /i injury."

Poppy gaped. No. That little girl wouldn't have done such a thing to a fully grown man, would she? No. Wait. This was Harry's first week at Hogwarts. Suddenly, everything made sense. "What kind of injury, Potter?"

Harry winced and pointed at his crotch. "It's um. Twisted?"

Poppy winced herself in sympathy. She pointed her wand at the affected area and watched Harry close his eyes while the tissue mended itself. "It should be better. Maybe not one hundred percent, but better." The young man's sigh of relief made her smile.

"You understand, it wasn't something I wanted to try and fix on my own?"

Poppy laughed. "Oh, I can understand why you might be hesitant to try."

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Poppy. I'm sorry our first meeting back had to be like this." Harry fought the urge to massage his crotch.

"Sibyl was out on the prowl again?"

Harry's eyes widened. "You know!"

"Oh course, you think you're the first man to scorn her with the painful taint of rejection? You should have been here when Severus Snape came limping in all those years ago."

Harry laughed lightly, careful not to jostle his newly restored flesh too harshly. "I can just imagine." He sighed contentedly, trying to think of what else to say. A soft cough from the back rooms broke the comfortable silence. "Have a patient, do you?"

Poppy stilled. "Yes, one quite dire."

"That bad, eh? Worth sending to St. Mungo's?" Harry frowned, his eyebrows knitting in concern.

"Oh no, that won't be necessary." Or possible, she added mentally. She decided to take a frightful chance then, hoping she wouldn't have some strange hex to her person to contend with if she opened her mouth. "I don't suppose you got the file I left for you?" She mentally shook herself when nothing happened to her.

"File? Oh! Draco Malfoy's file." Harry frowned. "I haven't had the chance to look at it yet." He frowned. "That's what I was trying to do when my guest arrived."

Poppy nodded, but said nothing, though her eyes kept drifting back to the room behind her office.

"Wait." Harry stood up. "Draco's in here? The portraits didn't alert me."

Poppy sighed. "I doubt Albus has asked them that particular favor yet."

Harry frowned. Albus had been the one to tell him about the portraits. Why hadn't they alerted him to Draco's condition? "Well then, I must see Malfoy at once."

Poppy stopped him. She began to feel a slight tingle in her throat, but ignored it. This was too important. "How much do you know?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. So Poppy _was_ in on Lucius' little scheme. "Enough."

"I somehow don't believe that." Poppy remembered her own initiation into the mystery of Draco Malfoy's illness, and how Lucius bloody Malfoy had kept her in the dark.

"What are you saying, Poppy?"

Poppy's hand flew to her throat, and she felt tears prickle her eyes. "Lucius Malfoy isn't what he seems, Harry. Go now, and find that damned file."

"What the hell's wrong Poppy?" He watched as the nurse began to cough violently.

"Harry! Get the damned file. NOW!"

Harry scuttled out of the infirmary and broke into a run once he reached the main corridor.

xxxx

_"I need to bring back my son." _

Severus Snape had come across a lot of strange things in his life, but when Lucius Malfoy had come to him, telling him some tall tale about how he was going to resurrect the child that he'd once allowed the Dark Lord to murder…well let's just say the he'd been a little thrown by the idea. Now, seated in his office at Hogwarts, he'd worked himself into a state over the entire ordeal.

Things were getting out of hand. Oleander Parkinson had just been in his office demanding to know if Draco was okay. Apparently, he'd rushed out of the dorm sometime around noon and hadn't been seen since. It hadn't taken much for Severus to surmise that Draco was in Poppy's care upstairs, and he'd reassured his student that Draco would be right as rain, he just needed to rest.

The trouble was, Severus couldn't bring himself to believe, or hope, that such a thing would ever be true. He'd forced himself to stay in the dungeon, aching with the knowledge that there really was nothing that he could do to help Draco. They'd tried everything…

Draco Malfoy was going to die. Again.

He'd come to love his Godson dearly, just as he had in the first true year of Draco's life. He'd always let Lucius Malfoy believe otherwise of course. As long as Lucius believed that Draco was little more than a nuisance to him, then everything would be fine. The last thing he needed was a self-righteous Malfoy on his ass thinking he was going to steal away his child. Draco was the closest thing Severus had to a child of his own, and truthfully, there was nothing that he wouldn't do to help the boy. He'd scoured every necromancy text the planet had to offer, and there was nothing. Not a single word. Severus looked helplessly at the bubbling cauldron tucked away in the corner. It was a revitalization potion. He'd been brewing the same potion, adding various ingredients over time to increase the strength, for sixteen long, painful years. Every time he was forced to brew another batch, his mind would drift back to the year of Draco's resurrection, and the choices that he'd made.

It was getting to the point where he was beginning to regret each and every single one of them.

_"Why a resurrection, Lucius?_ _Why can't Narcissa have another child?"_

"_You are well aware of the difficulties that we went through the first time."_

_Ah, yes. Narcissa Malfoy was a delicate beauty. She certainly wasn't made of the stuff that would produce strong, healthy children; especially given her lifestyle. One couldn't flounce about at parties all the time, mixing different concoctions while pregnant. Not that it had ever bothered Narcissa any. "Well then. I suggest you pay a visit to your lawyer to make the necessary arrangements for your cousin's sons to inherit your property." _

"_You know I will never allow that to happen." Lucius glare was frostier than a glacier. _

_Severus sighed. Of course he knew that. The Malfoy clan was notorious for their archaic pureblood values. Lucius' cousins were all contaminated with muggle blood. Only one section of the family line had truly remained pure, and look at what it had done for them? "Yes, I know. What are you proposing then?"_

"_I've been working on this project for several years. I'm convinced it will work this time."_

_This time?_ "_You mean you've tried something before?"_

_Lucius nodded. "I started researching it when it became apparent that Narcissa would not be assisting me with a new heir." _

_Severus rolled his eyes. "Why not simply kill her and take a second wife?"_

"_I had thought of that, but Cissy is too perfect a specimen of the female race to destroy when I have other options. I need Draco back, Severus, and I need your help to do it."_

"_What is it you need from me?"_

_Lucius withdrew a small leather-bound book from his breast pocket. It was very old, and when given a second look, it appeared the book was not bound in leather after all, but the remnants of dried human flesh. Severus scowled. As if Lucius would ever read any NORMAL_ _books._ _He didn't even want to imagine where Lucius had procured such a text. "There is a potion I need you to make. Two potions, actually. The first one is here," he pointed to one of the faded pages. "It's a reanimation potion. I need you to help me reanimate my son's body. I've already assembled the ingredients, but I needn't tell you that you are the only one I trust to brew it."_

_Severus nodded. The potion was complex, but certainly nothing he couldn't handle. The list of ingredients was quite awesome though. "And the second potion?"_

"_A simple variant on a nutrient replenishing potion."_ _Lucius removed a piece of parchment and handed it over. "I'm willing to pay for your services as long as they're necessary."_

_Severus surveyed the parchment. The potion was ridiculously simple, and the ingredients were nothing special. "Are you certain that this will be necessary?"_

"_No. Actually, I'm hoping it won't. However, the research I've been doing is quite clear. There is a chance that the body won't be able to sustain the soul, and that potion is the only known remedy for keeping everything in check."_

"_Speaking of the soul, how are you proposing to find it?"_

"_I've hired a Necromancer to do that. All I need from you is the potions, and of course, your silence."_

"_Indeed." _

Severus sipped gently from a glass of brandy, massaging his temple with his other hand. If only it had been that simple.

The Necromancer had known what she was doing, that was certain. They'd tried the ritual a total of six times without satisfactory results. Lucius had kept his infant sons corpse at Malfoy Manor under a simple charm that was used to keep food from spoiling. They'd pulled apart every known book they could find looking for the reason for their failure when Lucius had suggested something very off the wall.

He wanted to perform the ritual within the heart of the Ministry of Magic. He said he had a new idea for finding Draco's soul. Figuring that Halloween would be best, they'd planned to perform the ritual that evening. Everything had gone smoothly. They'd managed to portkey in, quite an accomplishment considering the wards, but Lucius had always been a master of portkeys. Some things were better left to the imagination, so Severus hadn't asked. Lucius had also arranged for a catastrophe to occur some distance away to keep the Aurors busy. He had then led them into the Department of Mysteries, and his hired Necromancer had squealed in delight when she had laid eyes on the tall, crumbling stone archway with its tattered black certain. She'd turned to Lucius then and whispered something that Severus hadn't caught. He'd been too busy struggling to hold his godson's body in his arms. He'd managed to do one better than Lucius had suggested. In all the time that they'd failed to retrieve Draco's soul, Severus had used potions, charms, even mild transfiguration, to get Draco's body into better shape than anyone ever expected. It just needed that one element that would restore Draco completely.

They'd set up the necessary elements for the ritual, and Severus had laid down the tiny body and stepped back. He was there only to observe, and administer and potions if necessary after the fact. He'd been rather proud of himself. The recipe Lucius had given him was fine for adult consumption, but Severus had managed to temper it to a safe level for use on children. He'd be willing to bet Lucius had never thought of that. He'd then watched, fascinated, as the Necromancer had cast a series of spells on herself. A glowing, ghostly anchor appeared, as well as several chains cast out of what appeared to be light. Ghostly apparitions of mechanisms used to hold. She made sure that they were secure, and then whispered something else to Lucius that Severus didn't hear.

She'd then walked through the tattered black curtain, and disappeared completely.

Everything had been fine, until that moment…

_Nara_ _Blunderspell was an accomplished Necromancer. She'd done time in Azkaban for her dark deeds in the 1970's, and had gone into hiding as soon as she was released. Lucius had found her though, and she was being paid a great deal to assist Malfoy with this endeavor, and Severus was silently praying that this time they would be successful. Everything was going smoothly, until Nara_ _returned from behind the tattered veil…_

_With nothing to show for having been there save a very sickly physical disposition._ "_I couldn't find him."_

"_What do you mean, you couldn't find him? You weren't gone for very long. Of course you couldn't find him." Lucius snarled. "You have to go back."_

"_No, you don't understand, Mr. Malfoy. He should have come when I called him to me. He's afraid, because he doesn't know me. You'll have to go and retrieve him yourself."_

_Lucius laughed. "If you think I'm going to be stupid enough to wander into the afterlife, then you're crazy. I suggest you go back in and try again, or your fee will be forfeit."_

_Blunderspell looked helpless. "Sir, I cannot! I'm already worn out, and the holding spell will not support me for another go. Your son has no interest in coming to me." _

_Lucius cursed. He raised his wand and pointed it at the now terrified woman. "I'll give you one last chance-"_

"_Lucius don't be a fool!" Severus stepped forward. "She's the only one that can cast the anchoring spell."_

"_A lot of good it's going to do us if she won't use it to go and do her job." Lucius face was contorted in the usual snarl. _

"_I will go then." Severus said softly. "She can cast the spell on me, and I will go. If Draco will not come to me, then you will have to accept that this plan will not work, or try to call him yourself."_

_Lucius considered. "He will come to you then."_

_Blunderspell smiled weakly, and quickly cast the necessary charms. Severus felt a chilling air sweep over him as the chains took hold. "You mustn't doddle," the witch said. "When you start to warm up, you must leave immediately, or you won't be able to return. He nodded. _

"_He will come to you, Severus." Lucius was nodding to himself, staring blankly at the veil. "I know he will."_

_The Potions Master took a deep breath, and walked towards the mysterious veil. His heart was pounding a mile a minute in his chest, and he was cursing himself a fool with every step… _

Severus sighed. His drink was gone. When he'd passed into the veil, he hadn't seen anything, not darkness, not light. It had been indescribable: a terrible nothingness that threatened to consume everything. He'd called his godson's name, and nothing had happened.

And then suddenly, he'd had an armful of playful, exuberant little boy.

_"Uncle Sev'rus!"_ _His heart had melted in that powerful moment and he'd looked into the joy-filled grey eyes with so much hope. "What are you doing here, Uncle Sev'rus?"_

"_I came to find you Draco, and take you home." Severus was surprised with the strength the child displayed when he began to squirm in his arms. "How old are you, Draco?"_

_The boy laughed. "I'm six, silly!"_

_Six years old. Had it really been that long? It couldn't be. "Do you want to see your parents again, Draco? They've sent me to find you."_

_Draco stilled. "If they wanted to find me, how come they didn't come? I don't wanna go back." _

_NO! They were so close. The boy had to return with him. "Please come back with me, Draco. Your parents love you very much."_

"_It's dark out there. I want to stay here."_

"_It's not dark anymore, Draco. It's safe now. Please come back with me?"_

"_Will it hurt?"_

"_No, I promise it won't." The man smiled when the child willingly gave up his hand. Without stopping, he pulled Draco along back the way he'd come, following the glowing chains until he could remember no more… _

He's lied, of course. It had hurt. It had hurt Draco very much. Sixteen years of agony, and he'd cheated the poor child out of his happy afterlife. He'd handed him over to a father that didn't love him, as he'd promised, but simply used him as he would any other tool. Severus' only peace came from the fact that Draco didn't know any of this. As far as Draco was concerned he was simply a child born with unusual ailments in 1986, not a resurrected baby born and murdered years prior. Severus suddenly felt very old, and very broken. If he could have done things differently, there was no doubt in his mind that he'd have let go of six year old Draco's hand just before stepping across the veil. Certainly then, he could have prevented the suffering of not only Draco, but all those who wanted to desperately to help him, and couldn't. Merlin forbid if Draco every discovered the truth. Severus knew he wouldn't deserve to be forgiven.

xxxx


	11. Part 10

Title: **legatum de maladie**

Genre: Romance/Drama/Angst

Pairing: HP/DM

Rating: M

Summary: **AU.** There was never a boy who lived, only a boy who died.

Draco Malfoy is ill. Harry Potter is a Healer. Lucius Malfoy is desperate. Slash.

_Disclaimer: I don't own a thing. It's all the property of J.K Rowling, and this story is being written for entertainment purposes only. Not a dime is being made._

xxxx

_March 1999_

"_The curse is about four thousand years old, give or take. I discovered it by accident, really. All of my best finds in my research have pretty much been fluke up until this point."_

"_So, if you've discovered this curse already, why are you here asking for funding to go on expedition, Mr. Potter?"_

"_Well, though I know the curse exists, and I have a few texts that list its properties and what it's supposed to do, there is known to be a very ancient scroll that has more details than any other text currently available. My theory is that this curse could indeed prove useful in the field of memory loss. Not all aging patients have the benefit of a Pensieve, and like muggles, some of our older patients are prone to Alzheimer's disease. If I can find this scroll, the information would be invaluable to my research."_

"_You're certain this scroll you seek is in Asia?"_

"_Given that the curse itself originated there, yes._ _All of the text written on this particular curse is from Asian scholars. I've seen no other curse like this one anywhere else in the world, and I have no reason to believe that this particular scroll I'm seeking has ever left the Asian continent. I've taken a great deal of care in plotting my course, but I'm certain that the scroll will be somewhere in the Himalayas."_

"_You're proposed guide is once against Mr. Sirius Black?"_

"_I wouldn't trust anyone else. Sirius is a master curse breaker and he's been through the area before."_

"_Alright then, everything seems to be in order, but we will need time to look over the paperwork and ensure your details are precise. Give us three days deliberation, Mr. Potter, and we will meet back here on Thursday afternoon at which point we will deliver our final decision."_

"_Thank you, Madam." _

xxxx

Kate Potter was bored. When her brother had been announced as the new DADA Professor, she'd been very excited. Things always picked up at Hogwarts when Harry was around. He was notorious for getting into trouble, and despite his newfound Professor-dom, she hadn't expected his adventurous streak to die down any. Yet, she'd seen him twice in the past two days, and both instances had been rather dull on the scale of Harry Potter pizzazz, and there had been no news of anything untoward happening at Hogwarts since his arrival. It was all very disappointing.

She'd just received a letter from her mother asking her to keep an eye out for her older brother, and maybe temper his antics. Lily Potter knew her son was up to something, but he hadn't told anyone what that something was, and she was worried. Her mother had expressed her usual bitterness when she spoke about Harry, and not for the first time, Kate wondered why Harry was so separated from their parents. He appeared to get on okay with them, but whenever he was in a fix, or if he needed advice, he always went to Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Years ago, when Harry had still been in school, he'd gotten into a huge fight with their parents over some trivial teenage thing. She'd only been around nine years old at the time, but she remembered climbing upstairs to find her older brother in tears. He'd whispered something to her then that she would never forget. Harry had told her that he didn't feel any paternal or maternal links to their parents. His heart kept telling him that they weren't supposed to be there, and he couldn't figure out why that was. He was drawn to Sirius for the very same reason. Inside, it felt like Sirius was the one he was supposed to go to for paternal advice, and failing him, Remus Lupin. Kate hadn't understood at the time, but she'd given her brother a big hug, and had promised not to tell anyone if asked. She'd had years to mull over Harry's revelation, and she still wasn't any closer to an answer. Her brother had always been weird though. He'd be the first person to jump up and save a baby kitten from the doom of a tall tree. He'd gone into medicine because he wanted to help people, but what no one had known at the time of Harry's college registration was that he was planning to study Dark Magic and its _application_ to medicine. Harry Potter was a Gryffindor-Slytherin enigma, and no one in the family could fully grasp the idea of Harry being so completely two-sided. While the first to save kittens, he was also one of the first to make sure the kitten wouldn't bite him first.

Kate looked around the Ravenclaw common room and sighed. Usually when she couldn't stop thinking about Harry that meant Harry was in trouble; which figured, because he was always in trouble. She already had all of her work done, but everyone else was still buried in books. Not for the first time she cursed her Potter genes. Her mother, despite being a Gryffindor, had always been very laid back and reserved, but her father was the standard foolhardy Gryffindor, and every so often, Kate got the itch to follow in her father's footsteps. Tonight, the itch was particularly strong. She just knew that something was up with Harry, and she was determined to find out what it was. She stood up and gathered her notes and books. She had something special in her dorm that might help her adventurous streak, and since she'd never used it before, she was mildly excited, and terrified, of the idea. She dumped her books on her bed and opened her school trunk, looking around to make sure no one was watching.

She pulled out her father's invisibility cloak, admiring the sheer volume of the fabric, and then before she could change her mind, she tiptoed down the stairs beneath the shimmery curtain, and disappeared out the portrait hole. Her fellow students were far too busy revising for their newts, over a year and a half away, to notice.

She was feeling rather naughty, traveling around at night when she ought to be tucked away safe, and if she were caught….well she was a Prefect. She could probably find some practical reason for being out at night, but there was no way to explain the invisibility cloak.

She was so deep into planning the speech she'd give should she be caught that she didn't notice the couple coming round the corner until she had smacked right into them.

"Oi, fuck! What the hell!" Oleander peered into the darkened corridor, but couldn't see any reason for his falling flat on his face. He looked up at his companion, who was doing her best to stifle a giggle. "Did you see anything?"

Rhoswen shook her head. "If I'm not mistaken, you've just tripped on your own two feet, you oaf."

Olli glared at her. "You ought to have a bit more respect for your elders." He quickly pulled himself off the floor and smoothed his robes irritably. "You're sure you didn't see anything? I could have sworn there was something. Maybe Filch's bloody cat."

"I think Mr. Filch has gone away. I overheard the Professor's talking about it."

"Never mind it, let's get to the infirmary. You promised me you'd show me Draco was okay."

The younger girl sighed. "Only because you wouldn't leave me alone."

"Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure it's your fault that he's in there in the first place, isn't it?"

Rhoswen didn't answer, but the colour drained from her already pale face. Kate watched the proceedings in fascination. They couldn't see her. She was flat on her backside in the corridor, miles of shimmery fabric around her, and they couldn't see her. This invisible thing was bloody brilliant! The topic of their conversation concerned her though. Malfoy was sick again? She mulled that over. Her brother was studying healing, even if his line of work was a bit questionable. Maybe he was with Malfoy. Since she had no where else she had to be, she decided to follow the Slytherin duo to the infirmary. Even if Harry wasn't involved, she might learn something valuable while she was there.

xxxx

Lucius stared out a window at the east side of his large estate. There was a storm rolling in and it reminded him severely of the one currently rolling over inside his head. By now, a message was halfway to Hogwarts for the young Rainwater girl. He allowed himself a brief smile when he thought of the look on her face when she learned of her parent's fate. No one messed with a Malfoy, least of all some pathetic whelp of a girl with delusions of grandeur.

Both the child's and the mediwitch's contracts has started to glow early that afternoon. That was Lucius' sign to alert him when they tried to open their mouths and reveal their secrets. He had used a variant on an Indian voodoo spell to trigger a case of severe throat infection on the mediwitch. He couldn't harm her as much as he'd like, given that he still required her services at Hogwarts.

The girl was another story. Her parents had been at his doorstep three times that year alone demanding more money for the secret services of their prized daughter. He'd had enough of listening to them, and when the contract had shimmered in an eerie shade of orange that afternoon, he'd snapped. He didn't have to deal with them anymore. One of his contacts was very good at arranging accidents. It really was a shame about the younger child though. He was a pure blood, and young enough that he might have turned out well with the proper education. Some things could not be prevented however. Lucius smirked. He was pleased to see that Potter's contract hadn't bled a trace of unsavory colour. Obviously, the boy was more Slytherin than he'd ever given him credit for.

"Lucius darling, are you in here?"

He sighed and rubbed his temples in exasperation. "Yes darling, I'm here." He winced when the study door squeaked open. He'd asked the damned house elves to take care of it a week ago. Apparently, he was becoming far too lax.

"Darling husband mine, I have some wonderful news." Narcissa swept into the room in a glorious array of soft pinks that complimented her delicate complexion. Her robes were of the finest quality silk money could buy, and even at her age, she looked absolutely ravishing.

"I could use some good news my darling. What is it?" Lucius sat at his desk and glanced over some financing documents while his wife blubbered on about her appointments of the day. She hardly ever said anything of interest, and in the decades that they'd been married, he'd become an expert at tuning her out. "Darling," he interrupted her finally. "I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I have an appointment myself with one of my solicitor's in twenty minutes that I need to prepare for, so if you could get to the point?"

Narcissa scowled, but quickly adjusted her facial muscles. Scowling caused premature wrinkles. "You never do listen to a word I say, do you Lucius?"

Lucius stood up and swept her into his arms. A bit of romance placated her nerves every time. "I worship you my darling, but I've been very distracted. Draco's not doing very well this year, and with the Halloween coming up-"

"Well, if you'd have been paying attention, you would have realized that you don't have to worry about it anymore." She smiled sweetly at him and kissed the tip of his nose. "Lucius love, I'm pregnant."

xxxx

_August 2000_

"_Sirius, you do of course realize what this means for the medical community, don't you?" Harry's hands were trembling in excitement as he gazed over the scroll one more time. It had taken a complex measure of translation charms and every bit of language study known between the two of them to read it, but now that they could…the results were astounding. _

_Sirius sighed and rubbed at his swollen ankles. "Harry, I honestly fail to see how some dark wizard's crack-pot scheme for immortality could do anything for medicine in the modern world, but I'm sure you'll write a fabulous paper on it, get a decent grade and make your folks proud. Right now though, I really just want to get back to England_ _and have a pint, does that sound alright with you?" _

"_Sure thing," Harry replied, but it was obvious that he wasn't paying attention. The scroll was so much more important than the key to his thesis, and he just knew he would be able to figure out the puzzle. It had taken three appeals and miles of red tape to get the go ahead to come here and find it. Now it was in his hands, and he wasn't letting it go._

_He couldn't wait to begin his research._

xxxx

Draco moaned and sat up in bed. Everything was dark and he couldn't see, but he'd recognize the rough texture of hospital linens anywhere. Something was wrong. He could feel it in his bones. The pain had left him, but now he was feeling so strange…like he didn't weigh anything, like he'd float away. The feeling was frightening, and even though his body didn't hurt anymore, this strange indescribable sensation was so much worse.

"Hello!" He called out, and then squeaked in fear at the horrible sound of his own voice. Could that pathetic whisper really be him? It couldn't be. "Hello!" He tried again, and then shuddered as the hollow sound bounced off his own ears. What was wrong with him? He huddled up in the covers, suddenly feeling very cold. He lay back down on his pillow and listened carefully. He could vaguely make out voices, but they sounded very far away. This was rubbish. Something was obviously very wrong with him, and there was no one around to help. What were they paying that damned mediwitch for anyhow? He allowed himself to pout. It was that stupid girl's fault that he was here. The stupid bloody bint had had a forgetful moment and now he was royally fucked. He couldn't wait to talk to his father. His father would come and make _them_ make _him_ better. Right now though, he was all alone, and feeling so very strange. He buried his face under his sheets and sobbed softly to himself. Why was it that when he needed it most, there was never anyone around to hold him?

xxxx

A half-full glass of scotch sat on the smooth wood surface, a small puddle of the amber liquid seeped around its base. The bottle the liquor had come from was an inch away, ready to refill the glass at a moments notice. The owner of the glass was currently slouched in his usual chair with one hand in his thick black hair and the other holding onto a student's medical file whose contents were most interesting indeed.

Harry had been rereading the same few pages of coded medical text for the last half hour and he still couldn't believe what it said. But then, his mind had been working overtime, pulling together all of the clues he'd had dropped in the last three days. He sighed, exhausted, and threw the file onto his desk.

Draco Malfoy was dead.

At least, that was the just of what the file had said. Suddenly, Harry had a reason to fear Lucius Malfoy very much. Why had the man kept this secret from him? If Draco Malfoy was already dead, then there was certainly no means of giving him life other than through Necromancy, and the arts of soul binding. Harry had no idea how Lucius had managed to put Draco back together, but if the boy was already dead…

Obviously, Lucius had already brought him back once. The man had searched the Earth for the information and he'd accomplished what Harry had always assumed was the impossible. He'd done it, and now he wanted Harry to clean up. Harry sighed. He was in way over his head. He knew nothing about soul magic or Necromancy. He studied Dark Magic that would have effects on living bodies, not dead ones. His thoughts turned again to the young boy who was certain to die _again_ within the next few days if Harry couldn't figure out how to help him.

He was obviously the same boy that Lucius had given to the Dark Lord. Everything made sense now. What scared Harry the most was that the sickly young man he'd held in his arms was supposed to have been the same age as Harry…to have gone to school with Harry. What would it have been like to be in the same class as Draco Malfoy? Kate always griped about him. He was a pretty smart kid, and apparently he wasn't a half bad seeker either, at least when he could work up the energy to play. Harry suddenly choked as he felt a wave of magic surge from the walls of the school and enclose around him. He watched, trapped, as a series of images pushed their way into his head, flying past his eyes at a mile a minute.

He suddenly knew very much what it would have been like to be classmates with Draco Malfoy, and exactly what sort of changes he himself would have had to go through to live that life. The life that played out before his eyes in scant seconds scared the hell out of him. He saw himself as a baby; saw his mother screaming and the ominous green flash that could only ever be associated with the Avada Kedavra curse. He saw himself in Gryffindor Red. He saw a laughing, smirking face that he had to look up to see. Haunted grey eyes followed by dark red irises and slithering snakes.

Blood, death and destruction.

War.

Harry shook his head and looked down at his desk in awe. He'd heard of magical loopholes that could move between various forms of realty. Apparently he'd triggered a very powerful one with his musings. Somewhere, in another version of life, The Dark Lord had attacked _him _as a baby instead of setting his sights on Draco Malfoy, and it had produced a very different world, at least from Harry's perspective. Harry peered at the stone walls of the school and wondered suddenly if they were the reason Albus Dumbledore always appeared to know so much. If his thoughts could trigger a reaction, he could only just imagine what Dumbledore was capable of when he sat down to mull over a day's events. Harry shuddered to think of it. He reached wearily for his glass and downed the remaining contents in one go. Sirius would be ashamed to see him wasting quality liquor. His godfather always had enjoyed a good drink, especially after a long journey. Harry smiled lightly, allowing the liquor to relax him. He couldn't think unless he was relaxed. He suddenly wished that he were elsewhere, and that this problem had fallen onto someone else's shoulders. Surely there was someone else out there better equipped to deal with saving Draco Malfoy's soul? To think, he could have been working on his thesis, or maybe Sirius would have called and asked for company on his latest expedition…

Harry bolted right out of his seat.

xxxx


	12. Interlude: The Prince of Shadows

Title: **legatum de maladie**

Genre: Romance/Drama/Angst

Pairing: HP/DM

Rating: M

Summary: **AU.** There was never a boy who lived, only a boy who died.

Draco Malfoy is ill. Harry Potter is a Healer. Lucius Malfoy is desperate. Slash.

_Disclaimer: I don't own a thing. It's all the property of J.K Rowling, and this story is being written for entertainment purposes only. Not a dime is being made._

xxxx

Interlude: The Prince of Shadows

_Once upon a time, in a far away land, a young Prince lived in a castle whose walls were trimmed with solid gold. The kingdom over which this castle presided was wealthy, and had seen generations come and go without the spoils of conflict. It was a merry, joyful place and all of the king's subjects revered him as they had his father, and his father before him. Alas, not all was well in the kingdom, for the young Prince of whom this tale is written, was very ill indeed._

_His malady was unknown, but not for lack of study. The king had hired every physician his country could attest to having, and he sent away to faraway lands for some hope of curing his son of his dreadful disease._

_Many years went by, and healers and wizards came from far and wide to try and aid the king in his struggle to save his only child. _

_But no remedy could be found._

_Locked away in the tallest tower, the Prince wept, for he had been told that he would soon die and he had never seen the glory of a sunrise or sunset, or the mystical wonder of a field of stars on a clear summer night. Nay, the Prince had never been out of doors. It had always been deemed far too dangerous for his delicate disposition. He knew these wonders existed because the king had every artist at his disposal, and while paintings of sunrises were all well and good, the Prince thought that with his impending death an unstoppable reality, he ought to be given the chance to see such splendors for himself._

_So it was that he snuck from the castle while its citizens were in mourning. A great festival had been planned to celebrate the life of the Prince, but he had not been invited. Instead, he slipped away from the steady iron bars and stone walls that had imprisoned him for the entirety of his life, and vanished into the wild._

_After trekking many miles, the young Prince's body wore out on him, for he was not used to such things as exercise. Gasping for breath, he sat down upon a stone and drank deeply from his water skin. At that time, the hour was late, and the stars had come awake from their pleasant slumber and thrown off their fluffy white bedding. They blinked down upon the young Prince gaily, and he smiled as his heart filled with joy to see them glitter and dance for him. He clapped merrily, and if he strained his delicate ears, he swore he could hear them sing. So this was what life was? He allowed his eyes to close as his travel worn bones announced their displeasure. Surely a short rest would not hurt?_

_As he slept, the stone upon which he had lain began to speak to him in quiet, low tones. For everyone knows humans cannot understand the language of stones when they are awake, because their heads are too full with nonsense to hear the quiet murmur of their rock tongues. The story the stone told him was a very dark one indeed._

_Long ago, when the Prince's father had been young, an evil mage from lands afar had come and declared war on the kingdom. Desperate to spare the lives of his innocent people, and knowing that his resources could not handle the trials of war, the king begged the mage for a truce. An alliance had to be scored between them to ensure the livelihood of his citizens. The evil mage and the king had struck a fragile bargain, but the king was ever weary of the mage and his dark magic._

_Then one day, a delegation from a neighboring kingdom arrived to discuss the trade routes that had existed between the two realms for centuries. They had with them a young Prince and his mentor, a great sorcerer. The delegates were aghast to learn that the king had reached a truce with the evil mage, and declared that they would not do business with a kingdom allied with such evil. _

_The king, desperate to hold on to his connections, broke down and begged the Prince and his sorcerer to help him. Betraying his fragile alliance, the king made up a plan with the Prince and sorcerer to destroy the evil mage once and for all._

_With his last breath, the mage cursed the king and all that would follow in his line with a terrible legacy. No child born of the king's family line would live the years the fates had deigned to give them without incurable agony. The souls of these children he forever bound to himself, so that they may be caged on the precipice between Earth and Hell for all eternity, and that their bodies would become frail without them._

_The stone told the young Prince this tale of woe, explaining away the malady that had plagued the young one for so many years. When the Prince awoke, he was weaker than he'd ever been, and he knew in his heart that this was to be his last day alive. He patted the stone in thanks and gingerly removed himself from his camp. _

_He wandered throughout the morning, taking in as many sights as he could with his tired eyes. At last, the despair of his impending doom settled in his heart, and he cried out: "Would there be some hope for my soul!" He sank to his knees by a silver pond and wept._

_Hours passed him by and his breath came in weary pants as his lifeblood began to slow its trek through his veins. The darkness was looming around him, threatening to claim him within its grasp. He whimpered in terror, and tried to seek the soothing sparkle of the stars overhead. He listened intently as the wind picked up and began to toss the water in the pond over its minor banks. "Listen child," the wind called to him. "Your time is almost lost, but it is not gone. Listen carefully now."_

_The Prince was at a loss. Last night a stone had told him of his fateful past, and now the wind was whispering his future. "The answer you seek is in the shadows, young one. Do not fear them. Surrender to them, and you will find your salvation." The wind caressed his sweaty brow and the Prince sighed and forced his body to relax. One by one, the stars winked out, and the blackness claimed him for eternity…_

_But that is not where the story ends, no._

_For in allowing the darkness to claim him, the Prince ultimately discovered his salvation, and that of an entire bloodline that would rise after him._

_Selia, blind goddess of night had heard the Prince's calls, and to stave off her boredom had deigned to help him. "Not all darkness is evil in intent," She admonished the Prince. "The evil that has chained you cannot be undone with keys of light. Poisoned you are, and only with the blood of evil, may the first evil be undone."_

_The prince stammered, bowed at the goddess's feet. "But they teach that two wrongs do not a right make." _

_The goddess laughed, and the sound was not melodic and sweet, but bitter and thick as black smoke. "They have taught wrong."_

…………


	13. Part 11

Title: **legatum de maladie**

Genre: Romance/Drama/Angst

Pairing: HP/DM

Rating: M

Summary: **AU.** There was never a boy who lived, only a boy who died.

Draco Malfoy is ill. Harry Potter is a Healer. Lucius Malfoy is desperate. Slash.

_ i Disclaimer: I don't own a thing. It's all the property of J.K Rowling, and this story is being written for entertainment purposes only. Not a dime is being made. /i _

xxxx

11

"What complete and utter rubbish." Kate closed the book with a dull thud and tossed it onto the table beside Draco's bed. The thud of the book's fall echoed throughout the near empty infirmary, and the girl had the grace to blush at the disruption she'd created.

Rhoswen picked the book up and flipped back to the story. "Your brother must have given it to us for a reason, Potter."

"But it doesn't explain anything. The end of the story cuts off. How is that supposed to be useful!" Kate huffed. "My brother, it might interest you to know, does not know everything."

It was on the tip of the Slytherin girl's tongue to tell the Ravenclaw that she didn't know everything either when the student's were interrupted by a new voice in the doorway. "Perhaps it's what the story itself teaches that Harry wants you to learn?"

"Remus! What are you doing here?" She leapt out of her seat and into her parent's friend's arms.

"Harry asked that I come." The werewolf said softly, removing himself from Kate's embrace. "He thought my presence might be needed in the coming days."

"Does Professor Dumbledore know you're here, sir?" Oleander Parkinson spoke up from beside the bed of a very sick Draco Malfoy.

"I assure you he does. I thought I might come and see how you're handling the situation?" Remus chose to sit in the empty chair on the other side of Draco.

Olli shrugged. "We still don't know anything. We know it's bad, but no one," and he looked pointedly at the white haired girl beside him, "will tell us what's going on."

Remus' sighed tiredly but managed to force a smile. "I agree that there are far too many secrets at present for my comfort, but I've been assured that all will be revealed in due time. Have you all been excused from classes?"

Olli shook his head. "I'm not leaving until I know what's wrong with Draco. My family has very important ties with the Malfoy family. My sister is supposed to marry Draco, and she can't very well do that if he's dead." The tall boy choked. "Not that I'm not worried about him or anything. He's my best mate, but I promised my family that I'd keep them updated."

Remus nodded. "It's not my place to tell any of you what to do, but I think you might be of more use if you go to your lessons."

"But we're helping!" Kate cried, ripping the once dropped text out of Rhoswen's hands. "Harry came charging in here last night with his book. He told us to read the marked passages and that he'd be back soon. We can't leave until Harry comes back."

"Where is Madam Pomfrey?" Remus looked around but there was no sign of the mediwitch.

Rhoswen looked at the strange man and sighed. "Madam is at St. Mungo's receiving treatment for a nasty throat infection."

Lupin's eyes widened. "When did that happen? Yesterday?"

"Last night." The pale girl didn't offer any other information.

"Could one of you let me know what all happened here last night? I was told to come here and make sure everyone stayed calm while Harry took off with Sirius. I've arrived to find three children sitting in the infirmary with a fourth who doesn't look to be very healthy, and no staff around to keep things together."

Olli sighed. "I came here last night to see if Draco was okay. He's always in the infirmary so I figured it was just a regular thing, but since I always come and visit him, I thought I'd better go and check. He gets lonely in here all by himself. I ran into Rainwater here in the Slytherin commons, and she said she'd come with me. When we got here, Madam Pomfrey had her head in the grate talking to someone at St. Mungo's and Draco was sitting up in bed babbling about feeling funny. He said it was dark and asked to turn the lights on, but they were already on. He started to freak out, so Rhoswen grabbed Madam Pomfrey from her call and she gave him a sedative. Draco started to cry as he fell asleep, but his words were all slurred so I don't know what he said. Then Madam Pomfrey started coughing really badly and told us to stay and watch him until Professor Potter came. She said she was really sick and she had to go to the hospital for treatment. Then she flooed herself away."

"She wasn't really sick though. I bet it was a curse." Rhoswen muttered under her breath, but of course, everyone heard her.

"Why do you think it was a curse Miss. Rainwater?"

Rhoswen shook her head. "Let's just say that Lucius Malfoy isn't a very nice person."

"_Anyhow,_" Olli began with a sneer, annoyed at having been interrupted by the younger girl. "Then Kate here shows up and wants to know what's going on, but since none of us has a clue," he glowered at Rhoswen again, "we just had to sit out and wait for Professor Potter to show up. He came running in around nine last night, checked to make sure Draco "was still breathing," his words not mine, and threw that book at us. He said to read it and understand and that he'd be back as soon as possible. He also said that Professor Dumbledore had been informed about everything, but we haven't seen the Headmaster at all."

Remus arched an eyebrow at that. "Interesting." He murmured softly to himself a moment. "So no one has said anything about what ails Mr. Malfoy here?"

"Not a word." Olli huffed, his eyes darting to his sick friend who looked freakishly small in the infirmary bed.

"The story is about the Prince of Shadows and his legacy of lost souls, isn't it?" Remus inquired, looking at the two girls who were squabbling silently over who had the right to hold the book.

"I guess so sir." Rhoswen answered. "It's not very clear. It reads like a fairy tale about a sick Prince who receives aid from nature, but I've never heard this story before, plus the ending is missing."

Remus nodded. "It's a story about a young Prince whose father strikes a bargain with a mage to protect his kingdom from war, but then betrays the mage when a better offer comes along, correct?" The three students nodded. "The mage then seeks revenge through a curse that will enslave the souls of the king's bloodline?" Three more nods. Remus smiled softly. "Harry is a student of medicinal magical research."

"So? There is a point to this dialogue of yours right? We've already _read_ the story." Olli sneered. He took Draco's hand in his and winced at its frigid temperature.

"Yes, there is, and if you'd not interrupt me, I'll get to it." Remus snapped in return. He loved dealing with youngsters, but sometimes they grated on even his nerves. "Harry is a healer. Granted, he's still in training, and much of the work he does is purely theoretical, but he is still essentially a healer. The story of the Prince of Shadows has always been one of Harry's favorites, though not many people know this." He looked pointedly at Kate Potter, who was looking just as confused as her classmates. "Harry studies Dark Magic. Specifically how dark curses intended to do harm and how their effects might be used to do good. He used his knowledge of potions, and how some poisons are best counteracted with separate poisons to launch his study into curses and how they might be applied to healing." Remus pointed at the book. "The story of the Prince of Shadows centers about a young man with a severe malady. He was set to die because his soul was not his own. You say that the story in that book is incomplete?"

"Yes Remus." Kate looked edgy. She was starting to figure out where the older man might be going with his speech.

"In the end, the young Prince's soul is spared, but not without a price. He serves the blind goddess for a thousand years, acting as her eyes. When he is released from his service to her, he discovers that even though he has a soul, he cannot be admitted to heaven. So he becomes the Prince of Shadows instead. He wanders in the darkness and eventually helps those that have followed in his bloodline by releasing their souls from the crossroads between heaven and hell. When each new child in his bloodline is born, he is there in the shadows the open the cage that the mage conjured when he died. It's a complicated story, and each version has a completely different ending, but the moral is always the same."

"What's the moral then?" Olli asked, his curiosity piqued.

"The words of the goddess Selia: not all darkness is evil in intent. For centuries, this story has sat on the dustiest shelves in libraries and in some countries has been banned altogether because it is said to promote the use of dark magic. Harry discovered it in his seventh year and became enthralled with its message. He used the idea to start his career, and has been met with barrier after barrier each step of the way."

"So basically, Harry wanted us to learn to see shades of grey instead of judging everything as black and white?" Kate inquired, looking at the book with wide eyes.

"That has been Harry's sole purpose since he was eleven years old and sorted into Slytherin, Kate." Remus reminded gently.

Kate blushed. "That's why he asked you to come here then right? That's why mom and dad are blissfully ignorant at home."

Remus winced. "You're too smart for your own good young lady."

"So basically, Professor Potter may be able to help Draco, but his means for doing so may be less than, ah, savory?" Rhoswen asked, her own eyes wide with a youthful brand of awe.

"I'd put money on it if Sirius is now involved." Remus replied, his face grave. "I just wish I knew what was going on. You've dropped more than a few hints that you know something Miss. Rainwater. Would you care to indulge?"

Rhoswen shook her head vehemently. "I swear I know nothing. I won't say anything else."

"I guess we'll just have to wait for Harry then."

xxxx

Harry hated traveling by Knight Bus, but in this instance he really didn't have a choice. He was on his way to the Ministry to arrange an International Portkey. Sirius Black was in Tanzania and Harry needed him. The young wizard reached into his robes and withdrew his copy of the contract he'd signed with Lucius Malfoy. Poppy Pomfrey has also signed her own version of the contract, but she had signed _after_ learning that Draco Malfoy was a resurrected being.

She was also currently at St. Mungo's undergoing treatment for one of the worst cases of throat inflammation on record, and Harry was positive that Lucius Malfoy had hexed her somehow. At any rate, he needed to review the contract to see what he could get away with spilling and what he needed to keep quiet about. He also needed to speak to Malfoy about a few things, but he'd save that for later. He was tired of being played like a puppet.

Lucius Malfoy was going to pay for what he'd done to his son, but only _after_ Harry figured out how to fix the young boy.

And fix him he would, if it was the last thing he ever did.

Harry hunkered down. He had a little bit of time before they reached the Ministry, and he had some serious reading to do.

xxxx


	14. Letters from Elsewhere

_Disclaimer: I don't own a thing. It's all the property of J.K Rowling, and this story is being written for entertainment purposes only. Not a dime is being made._

**Letters from Elsewhere**

_Malfoy, _

_How'd you do it? I need to know. If the reason behind our arrangement has any value to you, it is in your best interests to acquaint me with all of the knowledge you possess on this matter. I'll be out of the country for the next three days. Send a reply to Hogwarts._

_H. Potter_

_Potter,_

_I assure you that I have no idea of what you're talking about. Perhaps you've mistaken me for someone else? It does however appear as though you require a meeting of sorts, my secretary will arrange time for such an interview next week. I hear Hogsmeade is lovely this time of year._

_Lucius Malfoy _

_Severus,_

_I don't know how that fool of a boy has managed to discover the truth of Draco's condition, but I have more than a feeling that you've had something to do with it. Rest assured, if I discover that you have had a hand in this you will never see the end of my wrath, is that clear? Keep your eyes open and your mouth shut. That's all I pay you for._

_Lucius_


	15. Part 12

Title: legatum de maladie

Genre: Romance/Drama/Angst

Pairing: HP/DM

Rating: M

Summary: **AU.** There was never a boy who lived, only a boy who died.

Draco Malfoy is ill. Harry Potter is a Healer. Lucius Malfoy is desperate. Slash.

_Disclaimer: I don't own a thing. It's all the property of J.K Rowling, and this story is being written for entertainment purposes only. Not a dime is being made._

xxxx

12

Remus sighed and flipped through Harry's storybook dazedly. He'd finally managed to convince Kate and the two Slytherin students to go and find some food in the kitchens. He was unnerved that there was still no sign of staff in the infirmary, and that Albus, no-it-all that he was, wasn't hovering over Draco Malfoy's bed with his twinkling eyes and unnerving disposition.

Draco Malfoy smelled like rot, and Remus just _knew_ there was more going on with the young boy than met the eye. He was reminded of the night he'd helped Harry put together a tentative schedule for his new teaching job, and the haunted expression in Harry's green eyes. Something had been off that night, but Harry had expressly told him not to ask.

Harry had asked the students to read the tale of the Prince of Shadows. Remus hadn't been lying when he'd said there were literally hundreds of different versions of the story.

Remus' own favorite was set after the Prince had served the blind goddess. The Prince would wander about the crossroads collecting lost memories and putting them in his pockets. Then one day he'd stuffed a memory into his robes and the seams had split, and all the memories had come tumbling back out in a rainbow of colour. On Earth, it would rain every time the Prince's pockets split, and each raindrop was one of the lost memories he'd collected before the gates of heaven. Remus had read the story as a student in University and had loved the simplicity of it.

Now it appeared that simple fairy tales held more clues than met the eye. Of course, Remus had known this for awhile, given his passion for literature, but seeing fairy stories of such a dark nature perfectly reflected in real life didn't sit well with the werewolf. Remus sniffed again and scowled. Draco was deteriorating, and he smelled worse with each passing hour. The werewolf entertained the idea of opening a window to air the smell out, but one look at the fragile little boy lying in bed stomped out the notion.

"Lupin, what are you doing here?" Remus jerked up and smiled when Severus Snape entered the room.

"Hello Professor. I was wondering when someone would come and check on young Mr. Malfoy here. It's been many hours with no sign, I was beginning to worry."

The Potions Master flew to the young boy's bedside and checked his temperature. He closed his eyes in defeat when his simple status charms turned a pale yellow. "Curse you child. How did I know you'd missed a dose?" He pinched his long nose and sank into the nearest chair, unable to take his eyes from the sleeping boy.

"Severus, what the devil is going on with this boy? Harry called me and asked me to come and oversee both he and the children watching him, but I've been kept in the dark ever since. You say he missed a does? Of what?"

"Where is that blasted mediwitch?" Snape looked around the empty infirmary sharply.

"She's in St. Mungo's undergoing treatment for a rare hex, or so I'm told. Severus?"

The Potions Master sighed deeply and snapped his fingers. He'd be grateful of the elves if they could give him a pot of tea. He looked at the man sitting across from him and sighed again. There was nothing to stop the whole brigade of Gryffindors from getting involved now. "How much did Potter tell you?"

xxxx

"Sirius, you have to understand, I can't do this without you." Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He was running out of time. It had taken him three days to track down Sirius, and another half day to finally meet him.

Sirius leaned back on the stone bench and sighed. Muggle tourists wandered about all around him, each taking in the heavenly sights of Zanzibar's splendor. He'd been in the wild near Arusha when a snowy owl had descended on his camp, startling a few muggles in the group. It had taken a few discreetly placed charms and some savvy wordplay to help them get over the idea of a snowy owl in the African wilderness. Two days later he'd finally managed to meet Harry on the Island of Zanzibar, and since he'd never had the pleasure before, was eager to take in as many of the sights as possible. They were seated in the Forodhani Gardens overlooking the old Stone Town Harbor and its glorious blue waters, and Merlin's beard, all Harry could talk about was Malfoy. He interrupted the younger man before he could go off again. "Harry, I told you Malfoy was bad news, but you wouldn't listen to me. Since you won't tell me what's up, I can only guess it's really _really_ bad since you want to involve that Asian voodoo you dug up with me. I don't know much about it, but-"

"Bullshit." Harry glared down at his Godfather. "You were with me every step of the way, and while you play the part of grand misadventurer perfectly, you cannot fool me into believing that you know _nothing_ about that curse. You helped me with my thesis on it Sirius, and I know with your help now I can use it to satisfy Malfoy."

Sirius' brows lifted. "Grand misadventurer? Harry, do you have any idea how many galleons I'll be throwing away if I just up and leave here and follow you back to England? I'm sorry if my job doesn't appear to be as serious as yours, but it's still my job, and while I _do_ on some twisted level, appreciate your insinuation that I have no appreciation for responsibly, I unfortunately must make it clear that I do." The older man huffed, only slightly put off that everyone seemed to share the same low opinion on him, even his godson of whom he thought was different. After all, he'd hardly ever done a thing to persuade anyone to think otherwise.

"I'm sorry for my insinuation Sirius, but I meant what I said. You're too smart to be slaving away in the African heat leading rich wizards on Safari, or whatever it is you're doing here. I won't pretend that I understand completely, but I know you're happy with your work…. I just _really_ need your help, and I wouldn't be here groveling at your feet if I didn't know that I couldn't do this without you." Harry began to pace. "I don't know if I can swing it alone," he finally whispered.

"Merlin, what have you gotten yourself into Harry? And sit down!" He grabbed the sleeve of Harry's shirt and pulled him down onto the bench.

"I signed a contract with Lucius Malfoy to offer my services to him and his son." Harry winced. "There are several clauses in the contract that prevent me from telling you the specifics, but since Lucius neglected to tell me a few things, the contract doesn't cover what I've learned on my own."

"Slimy Slytherin bastard caught you in one of his traps, eh? I can't say I didn't tell you so."

"Lucius was dabbling in Necromancy, Sirius."

Sirius gaped at the younger man. "Holy shit! You have any proof of that? We can get the fucker hauled to prison for sure."

"It's not that simple. He resurrected his son, which in itself is a complete mystery. I'll never be able to comprehend how he actually managed it. The point it, Draco Malfoy is a resurrected human being, but there's something wrong, and Lucius expects him to die again before Halloween."

"One less snake in the nest to worry about."

Harry's eyes hardened. "I'm going to pretend you didn't say that."

"Why! It's the truth Harry! Why can't you see that?"

Harry stood up sharply. "Because I'm a snake too, Sirius! You mean to tell me that if I was sick and dying that you'd walk away without feeling anything because I'd be 'one less snake in the nest?' That's awful!"

"Harry sit down, you know that's completely different." Sirius looked around cautiously. There was a large wizarding population in the old quadrant of the city, but it was still overrun with muggles.

Harry sat. "It's not though, Siri. Draco Malfoy didn't choose his parents. He didn't choose to die and he certainly didn't choose to be resurrected and then live a life of unbearable agony. If we can help him, isn't it the Gryffindor thing to do?"

Sirius frowned. "I cannot believe you're using the Gryffindor thing against me now."

"Why not, I'm a Slytherin, remember?"

Sirius rubbed at his now tired eyes. "How can I forget? Harry, do you even know if this curse is going to work?"

Harry shook his head. "I know nothing yet for sure Sirius. I still need to talk to a few people, but I have this feeling…"

Sirius laughed. "Just like you father kiddo, following your gut instincts. What is it you want me to do exactly?"

"Can you come to Hogwarts the day before Halloween?" Harry bit his lip.

"That's less than what? A week? You want me to be back in the UK in six days?" Sirius started doing mental calculations. He could get out of his contract if he handed it over to Moses, but that didn't sit well with him. Still, if he made arrangements today, he could be packed and back in London when Harry needed him.

"Please Sirius. If I never ask anything else of you, will you do it?"

"I'll try kiddo, but I can't promise anything. You think you'll have everything figured out in six days?"

Harry swallowed sharply. "I'll have to. Let's just say I don't have any choice in the matter."

xxxx

"It's not fair." Olli whined, dumping his books on the Slytherin table in disgust. "Why won't they let us back in the infirmary? We were there in the beginning. If Draco's dying, we deserve to be there with him until the end."

Rhoswen sighed and looked around the Great Hall cautiously. She winced when Kate Potter waved at her from the Ravenclaw table, but waved back nonetheless. It was only polite. Several students were beginning to wonder why Oleander Parkinson and Kate Potter, two sixth years students, were spending so much time with her, a mere second year. She didn't want to upset the precious balance she'd worked so hard to maintain, and the last thing she needed was to be bullied over something as stupid as her age. "They must have their reasons. Besides, we're no good to Draco if we miss lessons."

The three students had been kicked out of the infirmary by Remus the morning after their little fairy tale story exchange. He'd suggested they go to the kitchens and eat, but when they'd tried to get back in the infirmary afterwards, they were told by Professor Snape that they had classes to attend. Olli sighed. "I guess so. I mean, none of us has any healing experience, but it would be nice to be included." He snorted. "I bet Potter gets to go help her brother when he comes back."

Rhoswen frowned. "I don't think so. Professor Potter seems very protective of her. He'll likely not call on her."

"I hope you're right." Olli beamed when the table filled with hot food. "He's not the only one who's feeling protective." He blushed around a mouthful of toast.

Rhoswen giggled. "That's so romantic. I knew you had a crush on her."

"Hey look! Owls! I wonder if we've had any mail while we were cooped up with Draco?" Olli grinned when the change in subject literally came flying in.

Rhoswen paled when she spied one of the Malfoy birds in the air, headed right for her. "I don't think I want to read my mail actually." She whispered. She'd known the reprimand was coming, after all. Lucius Malfoy knew everything, and after what had happened to Madame Pomfrey, she really wasn't looking forward to any correspondence with the evil man.

Olli shrugged. "It can't be that bad." He peered at the owl and raised an eyebrow when he recognized it. "You still haven't told us what's up with you and Malfoy."

"I won't be telling you either, if it's any consolation." She whimpered under the Malfoy's eagle owl's stare and removed the missive attached to its enormous claw. She saw the date on the outside of the envelope and shuddered. "It's from two days ago. I must have missed it with all the running around." She cautiously slipped the owl a bit of bacon. Even if the news was dreadful, it wasn't the bird's fault, and it had been looking for her for quite awhile. She slipped the parchment opened and took a deep breath. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. After all, she hadn't wound of in hospital as of yet. She paled again when she opened the last fold of the letter. The words that bled out on the page took a moment to register, but when they did, she was a loss for what to do. Crumpling up the message in one white fist, she raised the other to bite it and stave off the scream she knew was coming.

The effort was futile.

xxxx

Harry did a double take when he entered the infirmary and saw Remus Lupin having tea with Severus Snape. He tossed his pack on one of the empty beds and nodded at the two men while he checked on Draco's status. He cursed himself when he saw the lights on his charms were fading rapidly. He'd been away too long, and he still had so much work to do if he was going to save this child. "How has he been? Did he wake up at all while I was gone?"

Remus shook his head. "Whatever Poppy gave him, it appears to be keeping him out."

"Either that or his body is simply too weak to try and regain consciousness on it's own at this point." Snape sneered and stood up.

"Harry, now that you're back, I really think it's time you explained some things." Remus crossed his arms over his chest. "I've had quite and enlightening conversation with Severus here, and I'm _most_ interested to know how you've gotten involved with Necromancy. Harry, you could go to prison for this, and if I didn't love you as much as I do, I would have called the Aurors."

Biting his lip, Harry cast one of the strongest stabilizing and preservations charms he knew on Draco's prone body. "Remus, I-" He stopped and spun around rapidly to stare at his former potions teacher. "You know about Draco!"

Severus sneered, but nodded. "I had the unfortunate task of assisting with the original ritual."

Harry gaped. Severus knew everything then. He would be a literal fountain of information. "Severus, you need to tell me everything you know." He stalked over to the older man, his eyes wild and desperate. "I can't help Draco unless I know exactly what happened when Draco was resurrected, even what happened before that."

Snape peered at his student but eventually nodded. "I don't suppose we could do this in Poppy's office? It's more comfortable in there and this could take awhile."

"Sure, wherever." Harry hastily agreed. "I just have to grab something from my quarters. I'll be back shortly."

"Don't keep us waiting Harry. I've been sitting here for almost four days waiting for you to come back."

Harry nodded. "I won't."

xxxx

"Albus, where the devil is Severus? He's the poor child's head of house; he ought to be the one taking care of her in this time of need!" Minerva McGonagall looked at the tiny girl in the chair beside her and frowned. The child had let out a small wail in the Great Hall two days ago upon reading her mail and had then shut up completely. They were now seated in the Headmaster's office for the fourth time since the events, and Miss. Rainwater hadn't uttered a word. She hadn't eaten either, or slept, and the results were clear on her young face. There seemed to be a dark cloud forming over Hogwarts, and specifically Slytherin House, and everyone was at a loss to explain it. Albus himself had been teaching potions for the last few days without explanation, and Poppy Pomfrey was also nowhere to be found. "The letter came from the Malfoy's. They're obviously family friends, perhaps we could send her to their estate for the time being?"

"No, thank you."

Minerva started at hearing the child's voice and looked down at her gently. "My dear, it's perfectly alright for you to take some time to deal with this situation. The death of a family member is always a difficult thing to deal with, but in your circumstances-"

Rhoswen turned cold, hard eyes on the Head of Gryffindor House. "I'm grateful for your understanding, Professor," she choked, "but I'd prefer to stay at school, if that's alright with you."

Albus had been watching the situation carefully for many days now. That the girl was finally talking at all was a very good sign. He stood up from his desk and placed a calming hand on the girl's shoulder. "That might be best for you, Miss. Rainwater. Your friends can help you through this tragedy better than any strange family could. However, if you find yourself needing time to cope, you're always welcomed in this office."

The second year closed her eyes in agony. "Thank you, sir." She whispered. She swallowed painfully and decided that now was as good a time as any to spill. It was probably too late to help Draco, and it curled her stomach to think that her family had been murdered to save a secret that had no use in saving. She certainly had nothing left to lose now, and she was feeling exhausted: a bone deep tiredness that she shouldn't have felt at age twelve. "Sir, you should know something."

xxxx

The setting inside Poppy's office was somber. "I cannot believe that bastard wouldn't even go in after his own son." Harry shook his head sadly. He suddenly wanted to take Draco in his arms and never let him go.

"How the hell are you going to help this child, Harry?" Remus pointed out at the bed, his own eyes watery. "The last I'd checked you weren't a Soul Mage, or a God for that matter."

Harry nodded and scooped up the thick folder he'd brought with him. "I'm not a Soul Mage Remus. There are actually very few options open to me at the moment, but I have an idea and I'd like you to hear me out before you say anything more." He glared sharply at both men, "that means both of you."

The two nodded, both their interests piqued.

"I'll admit that I hadn't really thought much about how to fix this before I jumped on this particular curse," he pulled a worn scroll from the folder. "I've been trying to dig up information for days, but since that's literally all I've been given: days, I just kind of fell into this curse. I was sitting at my desk wondering how I was going to get out of this when my eye caught the edge of this file. I'll admit that until today it's all been a bit of a stretch of my own imagination. I was pretty much only daydreaming about how I'd take my own research one step further and it would end in glory." He blushed at the reproachful looks he received from his mentors. "But it's okay now, because now I have some substance to work with. It's kind of funny, actually, how everything is literally falling together. It's sickeningly convenient."

"In my experience, nothing is convenient." Severus muttered. "There is a reason you were given this task."

Harry nodded gently, cocking his head slightly. "Lucius Malfoy hired me because of a few papers I'd written on dark magic and its properties in healing. I think I'm simply his last resort. His way of telling himself that even if Draco dies, at least he'd tried every possible avenue to help him, though, given what you've just told us Severus, I cannot imagine why he'd care so much." Harry carefully back away from the subject, not wanting to discuss how Lucius' eventual retribution would affect him. "Anyhow, here it is. The curse is roughly four thousand years old." Harry laid his work out over the desk and pointed at the magically produced copies of the original scroll he and Sirius had dug up. "Its original purpose was an attempt at immortality by taking the memories of a person and making it possible to transfer them, complete, into another body. The husk left over after the curse was administered would have no memories and its thought would be jumbled and unclear, not unlike an infant child." He looked up at Severus and Remus with a dark look. "The body that the memories were than transferred to would carry them for another lifetime, and thus, the knowledge of one lifetime would never be lost.

However, two generations down, there were problems. Too many lifetimes worth of memories in one mind caused the mind to deteriorate and eventually led to insanity. The scrolls with the wizard's research on the curse were lost, and while the curse did manage a fledgling existence in dark textbooks, it was never again used to transfer memories. Dark wizards used the curse on their enemies and then cast the memories away so they'd be lost forever. It's easily one of the most carnal torture devices ever created." His two mentors nodded.

"Immortal Memory," Remus muttered and smiled at Harry. "The Prince of Shadows and his collection of memories, Harry?"

Harry blushed. "I knew you'd be familiar with that after-tale." He wanted to ask if Draco's school mates had read and understood the text he'd given them, but he could see that he needed to finish his explanation first.

"Harry, how exactly do you suppose this curse is going to help Draco?" Remus inquired, looking at the sinister looking artwork that graced the Latin section of the scroll.

"I'll get to that, but first I need you to understand the curse, as well as you possibly can." He took a deep breath. "Its last known use happened during the Crusades. They had translated it into Latin at that point." He pointed at the pictures that had captured Remus' stare. "The earliest version of the curse is in a dialect that is long dead, but I did manage to piece together some of the characters into modern Cantonese. When I got back to England I dipped into my expenses folder and hired an expert in the field to help me. She translated it into Vietnamese: nhớ, ghi nhớ, which she told me was a simple "commit to memory" charm, similar to the ones used to fill a Pensieve. The Latin curse here," he pointed, "reads as _servo recordatio saecula saeculorum._ But it won't work without the necessary parameters, which luckily for us, were outlined further down." Harry paused. "Truthfully, I don't know for certain if this is going to help Draco. Like I said, I have no background in soul magic, Necromancy or anything else that might fall into the realm of resurrection. All of this is based in a gut instinct that has quickly turned into a theory on my part."

"Alright, then explain your theory then." Severus leaned back in his armchair and sighed when a tea cup appeared out of nowhere.

Harry nodded. "It all comes back to your story, Severus. At least, that's what confirmed my suspicions. I've already admitted that I just kind of fell into this curse, but your story has been very enlightening." He paused, wondering how to best word this. "You said that when you went into the realm past the veil in the Department of Mysteries, that you met a child, aged roughly six. At least, the child you met was speaking to you and seemed very aware." Severus nodded, his eyes darkening. "However, the body that Lucius had had you remedy was still essentially that of an infant?"

"I think I can see where you're going with this, Harry." Remus nodded sagely.

"I modified the curse. Basically I messed with it so that it wouldn't take the memories from the mind, but would work in conjunction with known healing spells to heal a damaged mind so that it _could _remember. A colleague and I, with Sirius' help, used the modified curse to successfully assist elderly patients with memory loss. I tweaked the curse to the point where I could recover lost memories that were over fifty years old." He gestured into the infirmary where Draco was laying. "That boy in there is a miracle. What Lucius did shouldn't have been possible by any means. I think the reason why Draco's body is failing is because there are some missing pieces. He's a puzzle that's missing the outer edge that will make him whole. I think if I use this curse, combined with the stabilizing ritual, that I can tie all of the lost pieces together. Draco is missing the six years worth of memories that his soul says he has, but he's also missing something else."

"An aging potion." Severus deadpanned. He rubbed his face as hot tears prickled his eyes. "It seems so simple." He shook his head in disbelief.

Harry nodded gravely. "It's not though. This magic is very old and very complicated. He shoved the scroll in Snape's direction. I've already asked Sirius to come and help me. The curse-charm we used in my medical research is the mild version. I'm pretty sure that if we want to try this, we should go all out and do the complete ritual."

Severus glanced over the text and frowned. "It says here that you'll need someone with a blood connection to draw the symbols."

Harry nodded. "I've already written Lucius. I'm expecting a meeting with him soon."

Severus paled. "He wrote me as well." He removed the short letter from his robes. "That's what tipped me off that there might be a problem with Draco in the first place. I was making a batch of Wolfsbane and I got distracted. I neglected his needs for almost two days." The Potions Master looked stricken.

"Severus you need to stop beating yourself up. There's nothing we can do for it now, but if we're going to try Harry's plan, you need to be in shape to brew a decent potion." Remus patted his shoulder gently.

Harry smiled weakly. "You'll need to research a potion that will age Draco's body the exact number of days, hours, minutes and seconds that he was lost. I suppose you're the only one in the universe besides Lucius Malfoy that might be able to determine that number?"

Snape nodded and stood up. "I'll begin immediately." He paused on his way out the door. "Lucius might not be as helpful as you expect him to be, Harry." He warned. "Is there any chance that this spell could work without his involvement?"

Harry frowned. "I have no idea." He scratched at his head in contemplation. "I'll talk to him, and if he's uncooperative, I'll deal with that when it happens."

xxxx


	16. Part 13

Title: legatum de maladie

Genre: Romance/Drama/Angst

Pairing: HP/DM

Rating: M

Summary: **AU.** There was never a boy who lived, only a boy who died.

Draco Malfoy is ill. Harry Potter is a Healer. Lucius Malfoy is desperate. Slash.

_Disclaimer: I don't own a thing. It's all the property of J.K Rowling, and this story is being written for entertainment purposes only. Not a dime is being made._

13

Draco wandered around in the dark, creeping through the drifts the shadows made, desperately searching for some kind of light. It was really cold, and didn't have any shoes or socks. While he couldn't see the ground, the cold permeated the tender skin of his feet and chilled him to the very core. "Hello?" He called, and once again received no answer. He tried in vain to find some source of light, but couldn't see a thing. "Hello?" His voice had taken on a desperate edge and he tried vainly to calm himself. It wasn't the Malfoy way to panic.

Draco hated the dark.

xxxx

"Mr. Parkinson? Miss. Potter? If you'd wait a moment after class, please?" Across the void of the Transfiguration classroom, the two shared a look. What could Professor McGonagall possibly want with them? They waited for the rest of the class to file out and then approached the teacher's desk with only mild apprehension. "Thank you for staying. It's unfortunate that I have to call on you today, but I fear I have no other choice. You are aware of what has happened to Miss. Rainwater's family?"

Both students shook their heads. "Sorry Professor, but Rhoswen hasn't said much of anything since she got that letter."

Minerva sighed sadly. "Then it is my unfortunate duty to inform you that Miss. Rainwater is now without any living relatives. Her family had an unfortunate accident that took the lives of both her parents and her younger brother."

Kate gasped and trembled slightly when her own eyes filled with tears. The girl's parents were dead? She had no family? Kate couldn't possibly imagine losing her own family. "That's awful!"

The older woman nodded gravely. "She has requested that she be allowed to stay here for the remainder of her grieving process. Friends of the family are dealing with funeral arrangements, but she doesn't feel close to them. Her own friends will be of some help, but I'd noticed that you two had taken to talking to her over the last few days. I think it would be a good idea if you'd try and be there for her now in her time of need. Perhaps the maturity of two older students such as you might help to anchor her emotionally."

Olli nodded; Slytherins always looked out for their own. "Of course, Professor, we'll look after her." He was pleased at the stern nod from his new Ravenclaw counterpart. "Excuse me for asking, but where is Professor Snape?"

Minerva shook her head. "Professor Snape has been detained in the infirmary assisting with an unfortunate mishap related to a potion's accident. The one suffered by Draco Malfoy?" The elderly witch watched her pupils with a crude eye. She was aware that they had been in the infirmary with the sick boy, but Miss. Rainwater hadn't said whether or not these two students knew the complete truth. When she saw them nod, she continued. "If you're not aware, Mr. Malfoy suffers from an unusual malady that requires regular potion consumption. He forgot to take his necessary dose and Professor Snape is now seeing to his recovery."

"So Harry's help wasn't needed after all?" Kate asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Professor Potter is assisting. The Headmaster has had quite the busy week overseeing classes for the pair of them. Now, if you two could go and check on Miss. Rainwater, I have a meeting to attend. I appreciate your consideration of this matter." She nodded to dismiss them, and they picked up their books to leave.

Once in the hall, Olli started muttering to himself. "Something's going on. I can almost smell it."

Kate nodded in agreement. "I hate it when they gloss everything over. I thought it would be different this time, but I guess not. I say we find Rhoswen and ream the information out of her."

"Potter, the kid's family just died. Maybe we should cut her some slack?"

"Of course! I just meant-well, you know. We can be subtle about it if it makes you feel better?" She smiled weakly.

"How about we find her and make sure she doesn't need…what do the muggles call it? Therapy?"

Kate giggled. "We shouldn't joke. How would you feel if it happened to you?"

Olli's eyes widened as the thought hit his brain. "I have no idea."

xxxx

"Who are you?" Draco squawked. He clapped his hands over his mouth in embarrassment and shriveled away from the stranger.

The stranger lifted his head and smiled sadly. "I am a Prince. I'm here to guide you to the gate. You called out and said you were lost, so I've come to help you."

Draco looked at him wearily. "I didn't call out for help." He snapped. "Go and find someone else to lead, I can do it myself."

"Oh no, no. I'm afraid you can't. This road is very dangerous, and so many before you have fallen. I don't want you to fall though."

"What's so special about me?" Draco asked in suspicion. In his opinion, people only ever helped others if they wanted something.

The stranger shrugged. "I don't know, but the bad things want you and I've worked very hard to keep them away. Will you come with me?" The stranger offered his hand. "I can help you. There's no need to be afraid of the dark."

Draco took the stranger's hand.

xxxx

"So, Lucius wasn't quite as forthcoming with information and assistance as you'd wanted him to be?" Severus sneered and poured himself a glass of something strong before slumping over in the corner.

"Regretfully no." Harry sighed deeply and stretched against the door frame. The little room was too crowded with all of Severus' junk and two other bodies for him to enter completely. "I don't know what that man's problem is. He was so eager to save his heir and now I propose a means of doing so and he won't talk to me." Harry rubbed at his face in exasperation. "I hate to say it, but this whole fucking ordeal is exhausting."

Remus looked apprehensive. "So, if Lucius Malfoy isn't speaking to you, than he certainly isn't going to provide a blood offering. What are we going to do, Harry?"

"Well," Harry began cautiously. "Sirius is a cousin of Narcissa Malfoy. Therefore, there is a blood connection to Draco there." Harry finished and looked at his godfather hopefully. He'd been digging through the Malfoy family tree for a few hours the night before, and had been delighted to see the answer was so readily available.

Sirius was exhausted. He'd had to pull more than a few strings to get back to the UK for Harry's scheduled appointment, and then he'd had to trek all the way to Hogwarts. He'd only just arrived an hour ago and was in desperate need of a shower and a hot meal. He was so into his plans for the upcoming evening that he started when he heard Harry connect his name and 'blood ritual' in the same sentence. Him? Donate blood to a Malfoy? There had to be some joke. "Wait, hold the phone here. How weak can the blood connection be? Will this result in some strange kind of bond thing, because if it does, than I want no part in it." Sirius crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the potions cupboard with a sneer.

"Sirius, you've got to be kidding me! We have one chance to save Draco and you won't help because you're afraid of being bonded, even through a bond as inconsequential as this?"

"We don't know if it's inconsequential Harry. We have no idea what using my blood will do to me. I'm not interested. If Lucius Malfoy doesn't want to help his own son with a blood donation than I'm certainly not going to give one up. Merlin knows what could happen!"

Harry stared at his godfather, deeply offended. "I can't believe how selfish you're being."

Sirius winced. "I'm not being selfish Harry. I want to help the kid. I came all the way from Africa to help the kid, but I'm not willing to sacrifice my blood."

"What about another cousin?" Remus asked gently.

Harry shook his head sadly. "No. Too many people are already involved as it is. What we're doing is technically illegal, and if one of Draco's cousin's finds out the truth about him, than that might cause trouble for Lucius over who will inherit the estate, and then it won't matter if Draco makes it or not because Lucius will just kill him anyhow."

Severus croaked from his corner where he'd been watching the proceedings with a heavy heart. "I'm distantly related to Lucius through my father." Everyone turned to look at the weary Potions Master. "I doubt the link will be strong enough, but if my blood could be of some use, I'll gladly offer it up."

Harry started and smiled gently at the tired potions master. "We may just have to make due with it. Thank you Severus. How's the potion coming?"

Severus sipped wearily at his glass and sighed. "The potion was simple enough. The math gave me a bit of trouble at the beginning of the week, but I managed just fine once I sat down and thought about it. The potion has been simmering for two days. I expect it will be ready by noon tomorrow, but I'll keep checking on it just in case." He sighed again. "At this point, I just want this whole ordeal to be over with so I'll know if I can relax or start preparing for a funeral." He winced.

Remus winced with him. "No need to be so negative, Severus. We must have a positive outlook for this to work."

Harry nodded in agreement and glared at his godfather. "Positive outlook, indeed, isn't that right Sirius?" The glorified tour guide had the grace to blush. "I have a great deal of final preparation to take care of, not to mention a patient to look after, so if you'll excuse me." Harry picked up his books and wandered out the door, presumably to go back to Draco's bedside. "Everyone try and rest tonight," he called back into the room. "Merlin knows we likely won't get any sleep tomorrow evening!"

xxxx

"Harry! Open this door we need to talk to you!" Kate banged on the door one last time before clutching her fist in agony. She looked pleadingly at Olli to try knocking again when the door opened with a whoosh.

"Kate, now isn't really a good time." Harry swept a hand through his hair in frustration, and one look at him told her that he hadn't slept properly in a good long while.

She glared at him. "You've been avoiding us for days now. You said you'd fill us in as soon as you got back, but then I heard a rumor that Sirius had arrived today and I remembered that I still hadn't talked to you. I may have allowed it to pass before, but now is a bit late. We want to know about Draco. Why did you make us that story, and what is it you're planning to do?"

Harry sighed. "Look, I really can't discuss it with you. I asked you to read the story so that you might trust me, plus it provided you all with something to do to pass the time." He leaned against the doorframe and paused to consider his next words. "I hate to pull my Professor/Adult cards again, but I'm going to have to ask you to just concentrate on your classes and trust me. Draco ought to be fine by tomorrow night, as Severus is brewing a potion that should help him. You will not under any circumstances be allowed to see him until the day after at the i earliest /i , maybe even later than that."

"This is bullshit!" Olli roared from behind her. "Draco is my best friend. Would you honestly lie down and be silent while your best friend was dying in hospital?"

Harry frowned. The answer was no, of course, and he knew he was being a bit of a hypocrite by asking what he was of these students, but the magic involved was simply too dark, too unknown, and he didn't want anyone to get hurt. "Language, Mr. Parkinson." He said weakly. "Kate," he addressed his sister solemnly. "I promise you that nothing good can come of your being involved in this. I need you both to trust me and back off."

"The first of November then? That's when we can see him, and you promise to try and explain what's going on?"

"Of course. November first, I promise." He looked at the two. "Where is your partner in crime?"

Kate bit her lip. "Harry, something awful happened to her family. She got a letter from the Ministry announcing their death a few days ago and she hasn't spoken since."

Harry's face went ashen. "She was the one delivering Draco Malfoy's meds, wasn't she?"

Olli sighed. "Yes sir. She hasn't had a very good month. Not only does she feel responsible for Draco getting sick, now this had to happen to her family."

"No kidding." Harry quickly explained that he had more work to do and said his goodnights. He was glad that the two students had seemed placated by his promise, and he sincerely hoped that Kate would take him seriously and stay away until he called for her. The last thing he needed was to be telling his parents that his youngest sister was being arrested for her involvement in his scheme. Harry shuddered and sat on the floor. Rhoswen rainwater's parents were dead. There was no question in Harry's mind that Lucius Malfoy was behind their deaths. He sighed and remembered his own contractual obligations. There was really no telling if his plan to save Draco Malfoy was going to work. If it didn't, he knew that he would be the next name listed in the Daily Prophet's announcements page as having had an unfortunate accident.

But while he had his own, rather selfish, reasons for wanting to save the young boy, there were others as well. He hadn't told a soul, but he'd been dreaming of Draco Malfoy, not as the sixteen year old patient that he knew, but as a rather handsome twenty something young man.

The dreams were not something he was proud of having. Waking of with an erection and sweet fantasies involving one's sick student were not what his wildest dreams were made of. In fact, they made him feel quite heart sick. He pinched the bridge of his nose when he felt the tears begin to rise. He was so tired…

Severus Snape had visions of a little toddler smiling brightly.

Harry had visions of a smile just as bright, but the eyes were more mischievous. More _adult_

Tomorrow was going to be a long fucking day.

xxxx

"Checkmate." Minerva moved her queen across the board and trumped Albus in their third game of the evening. Albus, for his part, had been staring vacantly into a tea cup for the last twenty minutes in silence, pausing only to move his pieces around the board when it was his turn. Albus was usually extraordinarily good at multitasking; making small talk while playing chess and plotting world domination were nothing for the old man, but he seemed to be having quite a bit of trouble of late. "Are you alright, my old friend?" Minerva inquired, sipping from her own tea cup leisurely.

Albus finally looked up with broken eyes. "I'll admit for once I'm not, Minerva. This situation troubles me deeply, and I regret that I cannot become more involved. I wish there was something more I could do, but there simply isn't."

Minerva reached around the table and patted his knee. "Perhaps this time it's best to just sit back and not intervene, Albus?"

The elderly wizard shook his head and smiled softly. "It's too late for that, Minerva. I'm afraid I've already meddled as was my bit to meddle."

The Gryffindor Head of house raised a perfectly combed grey eyebrow. "What do you mean, Albus."

Albus' eye twinkled, if only slightly. "It's for me and portraits to know, Minerva my dear."

The witch laughed. "Isn't it always?"

The headmaster nodded again, staring down at the board in confusion. "Beaten me again, have you?"

"Of course. I always so."

"Sirius Black arrived tonight." He mentioned offhandedly, standing to check on Fawkes, who had taken to staring at the couple all night, as if demanding attention.

"I suppose his reasons for being here is another secret between you and the portraits?"

"Oh no, this is the secret you and Miss. Rainwater are also familiar with."

"Can he help Potter and Severus?"

"I truly hope so, my dear. I truly hope so. If not, than this Halloween will be the darkest these walls have seen in an age."

xxxx

The Great Hall was surprisingly vacant when Olli entered the next morning for some much needed breakfast. He quickly took his seat and started to dig in to the usual fair when a half-loaded plate landed on the table opposite him with a slight clatter and an unusual set of blue trimmed robes dropped into the accompanying seat. He looked up and blushed. "Good morning, Potter."

"Good Morning, Parkinson" Kate smiled cheerily. "I usually don't see you here so early."

Olli nodded and continued to shovel food on his plate. "I didn't sleep very well, and I woke up starving."

The red head raised a delicate eyebrow at the amount of food now covering the Slytherin's plate. "Obviously." She smiled and bit her lip when Olli blushed again. "You shouldn't worry so much, that's why you can't sleep. It's not good for your health."

"Yes Doctor," the boy sneered. "Uh oh…this can't be good." He sighed as his family owl dropped gracefully onto the table beside him. "I never get mail." He snatched the letter from the owl and winced when he saw what it was about. "That's great. Just what the kid needs."

"What is it?" Kate asked around her pumpkin juice.

"My sister. She's getting married, to Theodore Nott of all people." Olli made a face. "Why the hell she's ally herself with i that /i family is beyond me." The boy shook his head. "This couldn't have come at a worse time."

"Why do you say that? Because Draco is sick? Or because of Rhoswen? Harry said Malfoy would be okay after tonight and I'm sure I can look in on Rainwater for a few days while you breeze off to your sister's wedding."

Olli looked at her incredulously. "It's not like that." He flipped the letter about casually. "This is just my parents letting me know they're planning on making an announcement about her engagement. The reason why this is bad is because as of yesterday, as far as I knew, my sister was in an arrangement with the Malfoy's"

Kate actually choked on her breakfast. "What! The Malfoy's? But isn't your sister the same age as Harry?" Olli nodded. "Then how the hell? You mean Draco?"

"Yep! Draco was engaged to my sister. Actually, it wasn't like that originally. See, the Malfoy's had another son first. He was a month or so older than Pansy and she was engaged to i him /i . Unfortunately, there were complications and that child died, so the contract fell to the Malfoy's next born. However, it took them a long time to have a kid again, and Pansy has always been bitter about being married off to someone so young. My parents obviously don't want Pansy wed to Draco anymore and are breaking the contract. Which I suppose is a good thing, because the match would have been horrible, but still, I'm not looking forward to telling Draco when he wakes up that he no longer has a guaranteed wife."

Kate frowned. "Wouldn't Draco be happy? I mean, now he can choose his wife, can't he?"

"I suppose so. However, Draco is the _Malfoy Heir_ and any wife he chooses must be of the strictest breeding and integrity. It's a very complicated process to choose a Malfoy bride." Olli winced. "Lucius Malfoy is going to be pissed at my sister."

Kate nodded as she finally finished her muffin. "No kidding, I wouldn't want to be her." She glanced at the clock and reached into her bag for her textbook. The Headmaster was giving a shirt quiz in potions that day, and she wanted to be ready for it. Though, judging the headmaster, the quiz was probably on which types of potions produced the famous candies he loved so much. She probably wouldn't need to study. Remembering that it was Halloween, she became even more certain of the candy-themed quiz. She frowned slightly, noticing that the mood at the Slytherin table was suddenly very dark, and she knew she ought to head back to her own. However, she had a sudden desire to stay as close to Olli, and thereby Olli's charge, whenever Rhoswen decided to make an appearance, as possible. She tried to lighten the mood. "Are you excited for the feast tonight?"

Olli grinned. "Of course, it always has the best food." He tried not to think about Draco's noticeable absence. "I'm more excited for tomorrow though. I hope Draco will be okay. Maybe we should save him some of the special sweets?"

She smiled gently. "He'd probably like that."

xxxx

"Why is it so cold?" Draco asked his companion miserably.

The stranger shrugged. "It's always cold here."

"I feel as though we've been walking for days, but nothing changes. Are you sure you know where you're going?"

His strange companion smiled gently in the dark, the shadows hiding his features so that Draco didn't notice. "Of course I do. Don't worry, we'll get there yet."

Despite his companion's reassurances, Draco couldn't help but worry, or the shivers of icy fear that gripped his heart. He was suddenly very desperate for a glimpse of the sun again, even on a cold winter day. Somehow, he wasn't certain he'd ever be granted his simple wish.


	17. Part 14

Title:legatum de maladie

Genre: Romance/Drama/Angst

Pairing: HP/DM

Rating: M

Summary: **AU.** There was never a boy who lived, only a boy who died.

Draco Malfoy is ill. Harry Potter is a Healer. Lucius Malfoy is desperate. Slash.

_Disclaimer: I don't own a thing. It's all the property of J.K Rowling, and this story is being written for entertainment purposes only. Not a dime is being made._

xxxx

14

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" Harry slumped in his chair and attempted to glare at the imposing figure Lucius Malfoy cut above him. It wasn't working. The dark circles under Harry's eyes wouldn't intimidate a mouse.

Lucius smiled serenely, "I'm here to make sure you're still aware of your contract parameters." He gestured at the contents of Harry's desk, "I don't suppose you've found anything to help my child?"

Harry frowned. "I sent you a letter days ago detailing my plans for Draco. I asked if you'd be willing to provide a blood link. You failed to respond."

Lucius frowned and sank down in the chair opposite Harry. "I don't recall ever receiving correspondence from you, Mr. Potter. Indeed, if I had known, I would have come here to Hogwarts with great haste, I assure you."

Harry narrowed his eyes at the older man. "I assume you'd have shown the same care and attention as you did when you gave me _all_ of the necessary information to help your son. You know, considering he's little more than a half-animated corpse."

Lucius didn't blink, not did he smile. "I had heard that certain members of Draco's healing staff had been talking to you. Surely, you must understand that I had my reasons for keeping you in the dark?"

Harry shook his head and stood up. "Are you going to help with the antidote tonight or not?"

"I'm afraid that's impossible. I have a prior engagement that I cannot miss."

Harry gaped at the older man and finally gave up. "You honestly don't particularly care what happens to your son, do you?"

Lucius shrugged. "If you're seeking an honest answer…"

Harry's eyes flashed with anger. "Then what the fuck are you here for, Malfoy, because you should know that I WILL save Draco, with or without your help."

Lucius sneered. "I'm sure you will, my boy. I'm sure you will." He looked around the office with an overly dramatic casual appraisal, and Harry was instantly on edge.

"Looking for something?"

The blonde smiled again, a calculated glint in his eye. "I was just wondering if you knew any means of switching a child's gender other than the usual spell? Narcissa wanted me to ask."

Harry paused. "Your wife is pregnant?"

"Indeed, she is."

A deep sadness seeped through Harry then. Sadness for Draco and his severe condition, not to mention the suffering he'd been through. There was sadness for this new child, also, and the life it would likely lead under Malfoy's parentage. He suddenly felt very sick, and the stifling heat of the room, combined with the rich odor of Lucius' cologne wasn't helping any. "I don't know any spells for that. It's not as common as a practice as you might think."

Malfoy sniffed. "Very well then." He stood and turned towards the door. "There are a few people in the area of pure enough blood that might be able to assist you. Please let me know how your project turns out."

"You're a fucking bastard, Malfoy. I cannot believe that you are simply going to abandon your son when he needs you the most….and all it would take to help him is a pint of blood."

Lucius' eyes turned an even colder shade of grey. "You know as well as I do what horrible things can be done with a mere pint of blood, Mr. Potter. Good day, I'll be in touch." The door closed silently behind him and Harry bounced up and around his office, a sudden surge of energy filling him up like a child high on sweets. He had much work to do, but his first stop was to see Severus and ensure that the man's aging potion was coming along according to plan. He'd better check on Draco first…

Harry trudged down into the dungeons feeling very sorry for himself. This day couldn't be over fast enough as far as he was concerned. He felt disoriented and the inklings of what might be a certain death with the coming of the midnight hour were finally beginning to dawn on him. There was a chance that he'd never see his parents again, but he didn't want to think about. A quick look into the infirmary to check on Draco had proven that the child's condition had indeed worsened overnight, despite the stasis spells Harry had cast. When this was all over with, Harry planned to take a very long, potion induced nap. He knocked on Severus door and didn't wait for the man to answer before he invited himself inside. "How's it going?" He asked the man who was obviously sleeping at his desk.

Severus Snape sat up with a start and blinked his eyes wearily. "I finished it this morning around two a.m. It's in that vial there." He pointed to a potion vial across the room. The vial was dwarfed by a larger one beside it carrying a deep crimson substance.

Harry picked it up. "The blood?" He asked, though it was obvious.

"Yes. I've been taking small amounts each day and adding to it, casting preservation spells as I go. Do you think that will be enough?"

Harry's eyes widened and he smiled gently at his mentor. "I'm sure it will be more than sufficient, Severus. Did you manage much sleep? I'm going to need you at your best today."

The potion's master scowled. "Rest assured that I am quite capable of operating at my peak level of performance without much rest. Where are the mutt and the werewolf?"

Harry scowled right back. "I think they're still asleep. Lucius Malfoy paid me a visit at six o'clock this morning."

Severus stood abruptly. "He came to assist after all?

Harry sighed. "I'm afraid not. That's what I thought when I first saw him banging down my door. I don't even know how he managed to get in here so early, but he did. No, he hasn't any intention of helping with the blood ritual." Harry paused. "He wanted to know if I knew of any means of changing a child's gender than the usual spell from the third century."

What little blood there was drained from Severus' pale face. "He's having another child?"

"I can only assume. There's no way Draco would survive that kind of magical tampering in his current condition, and Lucius would have no use for a girl anyhow."

"This is bad."

"That's what I thought. But we can't do anything about it right now. We still have a sixteen year old Malfoy that we need to fix. I have a few last minute errands to run. If I don't see you before tonight, make sure you wear something black." Harry chuckled softly. "As if you'd ever wear anything else, but I thought I'd make it explicit. If you see Sirius before I do, please tell him the same."

Snape nodded. "Until later then?"

"Until later."

xxxx

Remus Lupin was a very unhappy werewolf. He'd just been informed that he could not be present for the ritual that Harry and Sirius would be involved in, he felt miserable for keeping his best friends in the dark about what their son was up to, and he had to eat oatmeal for breakfast instead of eggs. The oatmeal was there to ensure that the students would have at least one nourishing, healthy meal before they indulged in the candy feast that was set for the evening. Remus scowled as he spooned brown sugar into his bowl. He hated Halloween.

Albus had been very accommodating, actually. He'd never once questioned the presence of two former students in the building, and had ensured their comfort over the last week without batting an eye. He sat on the opposite side of Minerva from Remus, his eyes twinkling in their usual fashion and whenever Remus caught his eyes, he would smile in that sagely way that told Remus the man knew all, but wasn't speaking of it.

Harry had approached him just before breakfast and had told him that because of his lycanthropy, it wouldn't be safe for him to be present for the ritual. Harry had thanked him profusely for all of the time and energy that he'd put into the project, and then had politely asked him to keep and eye on the three young people who were most likely to try and interfere that evening. Could he possible keep them as far away from the infirmary as possible? His amber eyes automatically sought out the bright red hair Lily had gifted to her daughter, and frowned when he saw the girl seated at the Slytherin table with that Parkinson boy. His scowl deepened when he saw that said boy's plate was heaped with sausage. What the devil?

So Remus had been relegated as babysitter yet again. This had led to an entire knew set of problems. Children hopped up on Candy bars and sugar were all the more likely to injure themselves. Where were they to go and who would treat them if such an accident were to happen? Eventually, Severus had conceded Remus' point and they were now planning to do their dark spells in the dungeons. If any children needed medical attention, Remus would have to do his best to see to it, at least until the ritual's were complete.

The werewolf scowled and hoped that no kids got belly aches or bruises until after midnight. His healing skills were more than a little rusty.

xxxx

"Okay, I'm serious you two. We're going to have a good time tonight if it kills us!" Kate winced as the words left her mouth, and promptly wished she could take them back, but it was too late; Olli had gone white and Rhoswen at taken to staring at the floor, small tremors shaking her slight frame. Kate blushed. "Gosh, I really know how to put my foot in it, don't I? I didn't mean – what I mean is – I'm sorry."

Olli nodded and gently put an arm around Rhoswen's shoulders. "It'll be alright, Rainwater. We're going to have fun and eat a boat load of sweets."

"We have to save some for Draco, though. Right?" The girl's voice was small, but at least she was speaking again.

Kate smiled gently. "Yes, of course. When we go visit Draco tomorrow, we'll take the extra candy with us."

The three shared a nod and entered the Great Hall. They tried not to think about what exactly was going on elsewhere in the castle. Ignorance is bliss, they say, but none of them believed it at that moment.

xxxx

Harry's hands were sweating. He'd set everything up downstairs hours prior and then had spent the day at Draco's bedside, talking to him about Quidditch strategy in an effort to relax himself. As the hours had melted away, and Draco's temperature had dropped not once, but twice, Harry's stress level had increased exponentially. Talking about which brand of snitch could get up the most speed would have been much more interesting of the boy he was talking to could talk back.

But now the students were headed off to their Halloween feast, oblivious as they'd been all week about the classmate's condition. He'd heard a few of them whispering in the halls about how Draco must be faking to get the attention. That's what kind of spoiled boy he was.

Harry frowned. Was Draco the spoiled rotten, evil little bugger his classmates all thought he was? He hadn't had the chance to know Draco at all before the boy had slipped into his coma-like state. Fear gripped at Harry's heart and he suddenly had an undeniable urge to talk to his mother. He promised himself that if this all worked out and he was still breathing come the dawn, that he would arrange to have tea with her and try to get over the emptiness that settled over him whenever he looked into her eyes.

Everyone said they shared the same eyes, but Harry disagreed. Sure, their eyes were the same colour, but his were shaped more like his fathers. Plus, Lily often had a gorgeous light in her eyes that spoke of happiness and joy. When Harry looked in the mirror, he saw no such light.

All he saw where two hollow holes that tried vainly to hide the pit of eternal black behind them. He sighed and glanced at the clock. Severus would be here momentarily to help move Draco into the dungeons.

It was almost time to start.

xxxx

"Where are you taking me? You haven't answered any of my questions! I'm tired. Can't we sit down, just for a moment?" Draco knew he sounded like a brat, but he'd had enough of this walking about in circles in the dark. He wanted to go home.

"No, no! You cannot rest. If you stop, then you'll be finished. We're almost at the gate. Can you not hear your friends calling for you?"

Draco listened intently, but he could hear nothing. His senses picked up nothing save the soft glow of the stranger's lantern. He couldn't even feel the hand tugging on his own. "I want to go home."

"Then you have to trust me, little one."

xxxx

Severus murmured the incantation given to him and helped Harry draw the elaborate Asian symbols on Draco's chest, arms, and legs. His cold blood felt strange on his finger tips, tingling gently, and it was almost impossible to ignore the sensation. Its pulse was distracting him, clouding his mind. This was his godson.

_godson. godson. godson. _

A sudden image of a tall and elegant young man flitted through his mind. He wore a stern expression that reminded Severus of Lucius, and his eyes were a cold grey. No! The Potion's master began to perspire. What of little Draco? What of the innocent young boy he'd seen all those years ago? The one with the toothy grin and the wide, excited eyes? Severus knew in that moment that he'd give anything to hold on to that little boy. To give him the love and comfort that he so deserved. There was a snap of something in his head, like clawed fingers digging around in his brain. It reminded him of the Dark Lord, and he shrank back from it instinctively. "No, you won't have me!"

He was suddenly drawn back out of his musing by Potter and Black shouting at him. His head snapped up and his eyes meant vivid, powerful green. This young man was a powerful wizard. Severus had always known that, but now the evidence of it was standing a foot away. Harry Potter was wielding dark magic with the ease in which most normal people cast a _lumos._ Severus suddenly felt very cold as he watched Harry finish his incantation and step away. Black had been holding Draco's body down, and anchoring Harry's magic with his own, but now he was across the room.

The ritual was complete.

xxxx

"No! Stop! It hurts!" Draco cried, but there was no one left to hear him. Even his stranger with his light had disappeared. Draco clutched at his sides and wept. He couldn't stop walking, or the dark things would get him. He was scared.

"Listen, little one. Can you hear him? He's calling for you."

Draco looked around for his companion. "Where are you? Why have you left me? Please make it stop!"

"You need to go now. If you don't go now, you'll be trapped here forever."

Draco screamed as a sudden flash of fire ripped through his muscles. He could feel his blood heating up inside him, burning through his flesh. "Make it stop!"

"I know it hurts, but it will be over soon. You're almost home."

Home? _homehomehome._ He wanted to go there. He wanted the hurting to stop. If he listened carefully, above the roar of the blood in his ears, he could hear a voice, deep, masculine, soothing. It was calling to him. Calling to his blood.

Daddy?

xxxx

Every student in the Great Hall gasped as the blackness descended on them, all of the floating jack-o-lanterns in the ceiling going out at exactly the same time, followed by the candles on the tables and the sconces on the walls. An eerie chill settled over the hall and Rhoswen instinctively inched closer to Olli. He was older, bigger, and stronger. If there were monsters involved…

At the head table, Minerva cast a _lumos_ in irritation and hissed at Albus to _help_. The last thing she needed was a bunch of frightened children, tonight of all nights. She could see Remus Lupin going down to make the rounds and ensure everyone was behaving. "Albus, a Halloween prank is hardly appropriate given the circumstances."

The Headmaster sat still and silent, his eyes wide. "This wasn't my doing, Minerva."

McGonagall paled. "What kind of magic would be strong enough to tamper with the lights in the school, Albus?"

Albus cleared his throat awkwardly and stood up. He met his teaching partner's alarmed eyes. "You don't want to know, dearest. You don't want to know." With that, he took a tentative step away from the table and cast a wandless spell that set several orbs of light to floating around him, lighting his way. It didn't take him long to realize that the Great Hall wasn't the only room effected.

Everything single light in Hogwarts had been extinguished, save one.

xxxx

"What, that's it?" Severus asked, aghast at the complete lack of drama. He looked at the now empty potion vial in his bloody hands as though expecting it to shatter mysteriously. Nothing happened.

Harry shook his head. "What, you were expecting some kind of light show maybe? Sorry to disappoint, Severus."

Sirius laughed. "Ooooh. I know! Maybe some smoke, and lasers! Like a muggle rock concert!" He broke into his best air guitar rendition.

Severus sniffed. "Perhaps I'd thought that since a Potter and his pet mutt was involved, there would indeed be some Gryffindor spectacle."

Harry smiled gently at his mentor. "Severus, it breaks my heart that you would accuse me of Gryffindor spectacle."

"I assure you Mr. Potter that it shan't happen again, but you'll of course forgive my slip. It's not everyday that a Slytherin is found wrapped up in the center of a nefarious plot schemed by Lucius Malfoy to bring back souls and save the balance of the cosmic order. Lucius usually saves those jobs for mutts and the like." Severus tried to hide a small smile and failed.

Harry snorted, but couldn't help a small blush. "You always did despair at my Gryffindor parentage. It seems there's more lion in me than I had given myself credit for. But you should talk! You were the first Slytherin involved in this mess."

The Potion's Master ignored the last jibe and knelt beside the bed, placing a gentle hand on Draco's sweaty brow. "He'll wake then?"

Harry cast a series of simple healing charms and nodded. "The next few hours will be the most telling. I'd wager if he's still breathing normally come tomorrow, he'll be right as rain."

Severus shook his head. "I cannot believe the answer was so simple."

Harry put a tentative hand on his former teacher's shoulder. "I assure you Severus, it was anything but simple."

Sirius nodded in agreement. "Snape, I can't explain it, but it must have been fate. How the hell else can you explain the convenient finding of an ancient magical curse that was lost for centuries at the precise moment it was needed?"

Snape sighed. "Well, I'll grant that it probably does seem convenient, but let me remind you that the knowledge also sat gathering dust on both your book shelves."

"I published a paper on it last fall." Harry reminded.

"I don't suppose Lucius read the paper?" Severus asked, his voice bitter. He couldn't take his eyes off the young boy whose life had almost been lost.

"Even if he had, there's no way he would have linked the curse with restoring his son. My original research was geared toward memory restoration in elderly patients, not restoring souls and building links between them and corporeal bodies."

"I think you might consider publishing another paper." Severus said lightly.

"Are you crazy!" Sirius barked standing up sharply. He backed down when he received two angry glares. "Harry, if the Ministry gets even an inkling of what you've done here, what we've all done here today, we're all going to prison."

"Black, it may surprise you to know that there are other avenues of publication and knowledge distribution besides those that grace the Ministry's 'acceptable standard award' bookshelves." Snape looked at Harry. "I want you to write down every last detail in a scroll. Maybe in another thousand years, someone else might have a soul that needs anchoring, and with a scroll by Harry Potter, they'll have an idea of what to do. I'll see that it disappears in the right direction."

Harry nodded. "If you don't mind though, I think it can wait a few days. You both could do with some rest." He gestured towards the bed. "Until Poppy returns, Draco is my patient, and I'm declaring visiting hours over."

Snape made to disagree, but stopped when he felt Sirius Black's of all hands on his shoulder. "Come on Snape, we'll have a drink and celebrate the lives of Godsons."

xxxx

It had been a chaotic hour or so before Albus had managed to coax the school into hosting light once more. He stayed as far away from the dungeon room he knew a certain ritual was occurring in, as he possibly could. When he'd wandered down in that direction, a cold chill had settled on his skin. There was dark magic at work down there. Albus had known it, of course, but hadn't thought about the repercussions of using such magic inside a school.

Now he could only pray that the chill would disappear before it had the chance to cling to any of the students.

Albus could only imagine what Harry Potter was experiencing as a result of the dark forces he'd wielded. The Headmaster sighed and trudged back to his office. He hadn't much experience with dark spells, but he knew they were damaging. Harry Potter was a ridiculously powerful young wizard, but even he would be hurting after using that kind of magic. He smiled when a warm cup of tea appeared on his desk just as he sat behind it. Fawkes warbled from his left, looking decidedly put out on his perch. "Yes, Fawkes. There's been some dark doing here tonight. However, since the intentions were of pure heart, I can hardly call them evil." He nodded to himself. Yes, Harry would be hurting. He was too kind a soul to not feel the adverse effects of dark magic. He didn't expect his former student to come to him right away, but he would certainly be ready for him when he did.

xxxx

Draco awoke feeling groggy, but otherwise better than he could ever remember feeling. For one thing, nothing hurt. It was the first time he could remember ever waking up without one particular ache or another.

Ever.

Something had happened. The last thing he remembered had been Rhoswen Rainwater rushing with him to the infirmary. He'd been sick, and then Madam Pomfrey had given him a potion, and then he'd gone to sleep. He could recall vague images, but nothing was concrete enough for him to be able to describe it. Something about a song and a Prince?

Strange.

He sat up and stretched, gingerly testing his muscles. Since he didn't have any prior experience with what a normal body felt like, he would just have to bet that this was pretty close, because nothing happened. "What the bloody hell?"

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy, nice to see you awake." Draco looked up sharply and blushed. Professor Potter was hovering over his bedside, looking more than a little worse for wear. "I must confess Mr. Malfoy that you had us all worried there for awhile." The Professor smiled gently, and Draco was relieved to see a hint of a sparkle enter the man's tired eyes. Harry Potter still looked like shite though.

"I forgot to take my potions." Draco blushed again. "I don't know what happened after that. How long have I been asleep?"

Harry's smiled faded. "Quite some time, I'm afraid. However, I dare say you won't need to drink daily restoratives again if I have anything to say about it. Can you sit up?"

Draco nodded at sat up without much trouble. He watched as his Professor cast a series of complex charms over him, paying particular attention to Harry Potter's green eyes. He was surprised at how tired the man seemed to be. Had he been here with Draco the whole time he'd been asleep? "You mean you've found a way to cure the infection?"

Harry's eyes narrowed as he reviewed the results of his preliminary scans. He nodded distractedly. "I suppose you could say that." He slipped his wand back up his sleeve and turned away from the pale boy. "You're probably aching for a bath at this point, aren't you? I'll call the house elves to bring you a meal while you hit the shower."

Draco frowned. He had a lot of questions, but the older man didn't seem very eager to answer them right now. The young man nodded to himself and resolved to try again later. "Okay." He slipped out of bed and hastily grabbed at one of the white robes draped over the edge of the bed. The skimpy nightgown he'd been dressed in did nothing to preserve his modesty, and he was furious at himself for the constant blushing already. "Where is Madame Pomfrey?"

Harry started and looked up from the notes he'd been making hastily. "She's at St. Mungo's undergoing treatment for a nasty throat infection, unfortunately. You'll be in my care until she returns." He pointed towards the small bath towards the back of the infirmary. "The house elves have put out fresh toiletries and towels for you. When you're done, dress in clean pajama's and get back into bed. I'll not have you running around so soon after waking up. I'll also make sure there's a tray left for you. Try and eat something. I'll be back shortly. If you need anything at all, you've only to call for me. The portraits will let me know."

Draco nodded shyly and headed towards the showers. Once he was safely shut up inside, he sighed, and practically ran to the mirror to see if he looked as different as he felt. He was very disappointed to take in his usual image. He was still short and pale, and far too thin for his taste. Perhaps that would change in the coming months. Regular exercise and a balanced diet might help him grow know that he was somewhat healthy.

He could only hope.

xxxx

"Something went wrong with the aging potion. I expected him to have adult features or something similar when he finally awoke, but he's just as pitiful as ever." Harry choked back the cup of coffee Severus had offered him, knowing instinctively that if he consumed anymore of the caffeinated beverage and he'd be out sick for a long while. Merlin knew he'd been living off of the stuff for weeks now, and he was already feeling the dangerous effects of lack of sleep.

Severus sighed. "I brewed it precisely, and my arithmetic was perfect."

Harry nodded hastily. "I'm not criticizing your work, Severus. I'm just telling you the results."

"Perhaps it will take a bit of time for the full aging effects to show?"

Harry scratched his head, suddenly realizing it had been days since he'd washed his hair. "I don't think so. I think this is the full result that we're seeing now. The boy is healthy. When I tested him this morning, the results read very similarly to the tests Poppy had taken for students his age just before she left. Everything is normal. His eyes were bright, and there was colour in his cheeks. He didn't seem to have any problems moving around either."

"Maybe my blood link wasn't strong enough to complete all aspects of the ritual?" Severus offered tiredly, rubbing at his eyes.

Harry perked up. The blood! "You told me last night that you felt like Voldemort was in your head again for a moment when the ritual was complete. Did you feel anything else? What exactly were you thinking about when that happened?"

Severus frowned. "I don't see how that is pertinent –"

"Severus, when dealing with this kind of unknown magic, _everything_ is pertinent."

A small blush stole over Snape's cheeks and Harry had to back away to take it in. Snape? Blushing? "Severus?"

"I–" he stammered, the blush disappearing as he paled once again, flushing ghost white. "I was thinking about the Draco I met in the other world the first time. I was thinking that I wanted to pick him up and hug him the way his father never did."

Harry's eyes were wide as saucers. "You wanted to hold him?"

"Hug him, I said." Snape barked, his tone indicating his deep embarrassment.

Harry shook his head. "That might be the answer then, Severus. When the bond was completed, it bonded Draco to you, rather than his father. You were thinking about Draco as a child when the magic all fell into place, and that's why his body hasn't aged rapidly while he slept. He can't become younger, so he stayed the same. Think about it. If Lucius had used his blood to re-build the paternal link, Draco would have aged as much as humanly possible. Lucius hates children and wants a responsible and respectable heir for his estate. It makes sense…sort of. I suppose we'll never fully comprehend how magic really works, but it's at least _some_ kind of explanation for what we're seeing now."

Snape closed his eyes. "Have I hurt him again, by thinking those thoughts? Will he be ill because of me?"

Harry shook his head. "Honestly, Severus? It's too soon to tell if this will have effects at all, negative or positive. I dare say that if I went by today's test results, that Draco will be better off in the long run. Imagine his life if he suddenly _had_ aged six years while in a coma? What would he do? He'd still have to go to school and finish his education. Just because he lived six years in the other world wouldn't have made him an adult inside. He lived as a child. He still needs to live those bridging years between the age of sixteen and twenty two before he'll have the knowledge and experiences that he should have had. Now that I think about it, I dare say that maybe you didn't do anything wrong. Maybe the magic was just designed to do it this way. Who knows?"

"I suppose we'll just have to wait and see. I hope that Draco will have at least a bit of time to explore healthily as a boy before he is forced to grow up."

Harry nodded. "I hope so too."

xxxx

xxxx

I hope everyone had a happy New Year and a good holiday season, whether you celebrate or not. Sorry this update is so long in coming. It was a very busy December for me. Now that it's over, I'm eager to get back into the swing of things. Thanks for reading with me so far, you've all been wonderful and ever so patient. This chapter concludes arc one of legatum de maladie. Hopefully you'll all stick with me through arc two! Thanks again, and happy readings to you all.

-Ida


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